Related Stories

Abbie Fink has been here most of the week, working from my dining room.

We participated in #PRSAChat on Wednesday and fed each other comments…as if we shared an office. We exchanged some tweets and Facebook messages, as if she were not sitting next to me. And we laughed ourselves to death.

She even got to experience me literally laughing out loud as I texted, “LOL!” I take that acronym very seriously!

It was fun to have an officemate for a week. I sometimes miss having other humans in-person during the workday. She filled that void quite nicely.

While I get her ready to go to the Hilton at O’Hare for PRSA nominating committee responsibilities, I will leave you with Gin and Topics.

3. Kangaroos Fighting in Neighborhood. It’s no secret that I think animals acting like humans is hilarious. Which speaks to why I think kangaroos hanging out in a cul-de-sac, fighting, is equally hilarious.

2. Lip Sync Battle with Tom Cruise. No matter what you think about Tom Cruise, he is still smoking hot. And this lip sync battle just proves my point. Not smoking hot enough to replace my boyfriend, RDJ, but still really good-looking (and crazy).

1. Kid Ruins Sister’s Video. I don’t know why this strikes me as hilarious, but every time I see it (and I’ve watched it many times), it makes me laugh out loud. My brothers totally would have done something like this.

Related Stories

A few years ago, I was wandering the halls of a hotel at Counselor’s Academy when my dear friend, Abbie Fink, pulled me into the trade show area and said, “You have to meet Aly Saxe. She thinks like you do!”

(What I meant is that I was totally attending one of the sessions and I stepped out to use the ladies room and ran into Abbie in there…yeah, that’s what I meant.)

I introduced myself to Aly and Abbie was right, we became fast friends.

At the time, Iris—a media relations management and measurement software—was just launching and she gave me the spiel about it.

I was intrigued.

Since then, we of course have become users and I tell every communicator on earth they need to get it, and Aly asked me to sit on her advisory board…which really just means I have a business excuse to chat with her once a month about the industry, work, growing a business, and life.

She has written for Spin Sucks several times in the past year, so you may already recognize her name, and I really do recommend all communicators check out her business.

But that’s not why I asked her to sit on the Spin Sucks Inquisition hot seat. I asked her here because she’s wickedly smart, she gets the data side of PR, and she thinks measurement is as important as I do.

Without further ado…

What is the Biggest Mistake You’ve Made in Your Career?

The biggest mistake I ever made was granting too much power to a single individual within my organization, and not ensuring alignment on business objectives with that person.

The events that unfolded from this mistake have taught me what I consider to be well-earned lessons.

When you run a small business, it’s easy to grow dependent on your internal heroes.

When you put a great deal of stock into a single hero—whether that’s the most important client relationships, managing the team, or owning the most important relationships—you’re putting your company in a risky position.

Next time, I’ll make sure every leader has someone serving as a close second and can jump into the role at any given moment.

I’ve heard of other companies having their leaders write their own succession plans, and they have to be updated and approved twice a year.

This is a genius idea.

A strong organization means that anyone could jump without rocking the boat.

What is One Thing about Yourself that Would Surprise Most People?

Being in PR for so long, and putting myself out there to grow my agency has given off the impression that I’m a social butterfly.

The truth is social situations with more than a handful of people, or new people, have always felt awkward to me.

I’ll push through it like a champ, but I’ll typically choose to spend my free time hunkered down with family and a few close friends.

If You Could Achieve Everything You Ever Wanted in Life, but Had to Die 10 Years Sooner, Would You Make that Trade?

Yes.

What Industry Advice or Practice Would You Most Like to Cry Foul On?

Do I have to pick just one?

That PR isn’t measurable.

In five years, PR pros that still believe this will be going the way of the Dodo bird.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/104227598/0/spinsucks~The-Spin-Sucks-Inquisition-Aly-Saxe/feed/0http://spinsucks.com/communication/geography-pitfalls-to-avoid-in-writing/Geography Pitfalls to Avoid in Writinghttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/104081354/0/spinsucks~Geography-Pitfalls-to-Avoid-in-Writing/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/104081354/0/spinsucks~Geography-Pitfalls-to-Avoid-in-Writing/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 16:58:55 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=34150As the workforce becomes more global, consider different cultures, different ways of doing business, and even geography pitfalls made in content

Related Stories

With so many different countries and cultures on planet earth, there are endless geography pitfalls in which we can unintentionally offend one another.

This can be a serious issue for those of us who believe that creating world peace and global engagement begins with the act of spelling each other’s names correctly … or at least not spreading misinformation about the homelands of our brothers and sisters around the world.

The CIA World Factbook identifies 267 world entities, each with varying degrees of sensitivities about their particulars.

Let’s go over a handful of potential geography pitfalls to avoid, lest you become embroiled in an international incident or cause some sort of horrific typo-fueled war.

The Right Country?

Make sure you have the right country.

Is that the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or the Republic of the Congo you’re referring to?

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/104081354/0/spinsucks~Geography-Pitfalls-to-Avoid-in-Writing/feed/0http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/likable-vs-successful-women-leaders/Likable vs. Successful: The Issue Women Leaders Facehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/104040106/0/spinsucks~Likable-vs-Successful-The-Issue-Women-Leaders-Face/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/104040106/0/spinsucks~Likable-vs-Successful-The-Issue-Women-Leaders-Face/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 10:58:22 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=15392Women have an innate need to be liked, which results in serious and long-lasting implications. Learn how to choose between being liked and being successful

Related Stories

I love men. I love them as role models, mentors, and friends. I have four brothers (and one sister) so I relate very well to men.

Beginning in childhood, I’ve learned a lot from boys (not men yet). I learned from my brothers how to climb trees and change the oil in my car. I learned how to stick up for myself and how to get what I wanted. I learned that “do you want to go with me?” meant, “I’d rather hang out with you than your brothers” and what that does to sibling rivalry.

As I entered the work force, I learned from men how biting my fingernails undermined my intelligence, how to present ideas in logical and unemotional ways, and how to think critically under fire.

And, as I’ve grown my business, I’ve learned from men how my personality best leads, how to ask for what I want, and how to put a real value on my expertise without apology.

As proven in last week’s Gin and Topics, I also have the sense of humor of an eighth-grade boy.

I love men…and I love women.

Some might even say I’m a feminist (though I don’t attach that label to myself).

I love how far women have come, but it’s also very frustrating to see how much further we have to go.

Being Well-Liked Doesn’t Equal Success

Success and likability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women.

It also became the platform for which she positioned her book, “Lean In,” and how women need to do a better job of taking control of our own destinies.

The book, of course, has been met with mixed reviews (I personally happened to love it), but the point here is she is right about likability and how, even though we have a deep knowledge of this double standard, we still insist on being liked, even if it means it’s detrimental to our success.

Earlier this year, while at a conference reception, I talked to a group of friends about being Internet famous versus making money…and which one each of us preferred.

Though the majority of us preferred to make money, those who preferred to be Internet famous related it to being very much like women having this innate need to be liked.

It doesn’t make a lot of sense and being Internet famous certainly doesn’t necessarily mean you make money, just like being well-liked doesn’t necessarily mean you’re successful.

Authority Means You’re Not Always Liked

We have a client who loves to tease me about being opinionated (me??!?). I think they secretly hired us so they can sit with popcorn and watch me make their board members squirm.

It’s kind of funny, but it’s something I’m very cognizant of because I don’t want to offend anyone. And it’s something I’ve been testing in new business meetings.

I’ve tested using phrases such as “I think” in meetings. It turns out women react better to that phrase than men. They see you as less competitive to them, while men perceive you as less authoritative.

I’ve also tested talking about our success in those meetings, which is super uncomfortable, but here is what I’ve learned: Women can’t stand it and think I’m a horrible person, where men can’t wait to hire a firm that has one of the best PR blogs in the world, according to Forbes.

This comes from a friend who told me a mutual acquaintance told him she thought I was snotty and arrogant because I mentioned that very article in a meeting earlier this week.

So, which is it?

Should we want people to like us and do what we can to conform to that…or should we talk about our successes and risk being called a <not nice word>?

Likable or Successful?

Men don’t care if you do or don’t like them. They don’t care if you don’t like their decisions. They don’t care if you are envious of their success. If they have a problem with another man, they’ll go out back, fight it out, and then have a beer together.

But women? We adjust our behavior to be likable.

And, if I’m completely honest with myself, it really bothers me that woman thinks I’m snotty and arrogant because I said Forbes just named us one of the best PR blogs in the world…because I DO want to be liked.

We do care what others think about us and that gives us less power in the boardroom and in our personal lives.

In a world where we want the top jobs and equal pay and equal rights, we have to stop playing a supporting role in our own lives.

By wanting to be liked, we are more concerned with what others think about us than with doing the very best job, even if it’s not popular.

Sure, some of this requires a pretty big culture change, but that change can begin with each of us.

But to the point about making money or being Internet famous, would you rather be liked or be successful?

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/104040106/0/spinsucks~Likable-vs-Successful-The-Issue-Women-Leaders-Face/feed/231http://spinsucks.com/marketing/affiliate-marketing-is-far-from-dead/Affiliate Marketing is Far From Deadhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103899678/0/spinsucks~Affiliate-Marketing-is-Far-From-Dead/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103899678/0/spinsucks~Affiliate-Marketing-is-Far-From-Dead/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 16:58:55 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=34105Affiliate marketing is far from dead. Au contraire, says Chris Kramer. If done well, it can drive sales for you at a level you can't get from a sales team

There are definitely challenges with affiliate marketing, but they’ve been with the industry since its inception and can be handled with proper controls.

Thousands of prominent businesses have successful affiliate marketing programs, from online sales companies such as eBay and Amazon to retail stores such as The Home Depot and Bed Bath & Beyond. Even Apple, the tech giant, has an affiliate marketing program.

The future of affiliate marketing is far from dead. In fact, it actually looks pretty healthy.

The results were dramatically in our industry’s favor: More than two-thirds of programs met or exceeded expectations. Eighty-five percent of businesses thought customers acquired through affiliate marketing were as good as, or better than, customers acquired through other online channels. And a whopping 92 percent of businesses indicated their intent to invest more in affiliate marketing next year.

What Affiliate Marketing Has to Offer

Why are these industry leaders so interested in affiliate marketing?

Here are four simple reasons:

Affiliate marketing has the best return-on-investment of any channel. Because you only pay for sales that actually happen, no money is wasted on impressions or clicks that don’t turn into paying customers.

Affiliates offer more space on the page.Search and display ads are often nestled in the margins, away from readers’ eyes. Affiliates place your business front and center.

Third-party affiliates are trustworthy.Paid ads are just that, but information from a third-party is different. When educational reading is provided for your business, it doesn’t seem like marketing copy. Rather, it becomes trusted advice from a familiar source.

Good affiliate programs allow you to scale.The infrastructure provided by platforms such as CJ Affiliate and Rakuten Marketing allows you to work easily with thousands of partners rather than working with a handful of websites or search partners. This kind of scale simply isn’t possible through other channels.

Get the Most Out of Your Affiliate Marketing

For those who still have concerns, here are four ways to deal with the most common issues associated with affiliate marketing:

Diversify.Fill your program with various types of affiliates instead of going solely for coupons. Introduce content verticals and loyalty sites.

Monitor.Affiliate marketing is not the “set it and forget it” channel it is often said to be. Enforce strict guidelines and policies regarding what affiliates can and can’t do. Have a team in place to monitor and enforce those policies. Use tools such as The Search Monitor and BrandVerity to make this easier. Lastly, don’t be afraid to suspend affiliates who break rules.

Check. Introduce controls to prevent fraudulent orders. Reverse those controls before paying commissions. This can be automated with just about any affiliate network or technology.

Measure Value.Not all affiliates are created equal. Reward those who yield new or high-quality customers. Reduce commissions for those who don’t.

First and foremost, maintain great relationships. Affiliate marketing relies on trust between advertisers and affiliates. Ensure solid communication exists among your top partners. Also, be sure your program is meeting its goals and objectives.

Lastly, try toattend industry events. Not only does this allow you to stay on top of industry trends, but it also allows you to meet top affiliates in person.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103899678/0/spinsucks~Affiliate-Marketing-is-Far-From-Dead/feed/0http://spinsucks.com/communication/four-ways-to-keep-content-fresh/Four Ways to Keep Content Freshhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/38531911/0/spinsucks~Four-Ways-to-Keep-Content-Fresh/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/38531911/0/spinsucks~Four-Ways-to-Keep-Content-Fresh/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 10:58:58 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=17141Consistently coming up with new ideas to keep content fresh isn't easy. Here are four ways to help with ideas generation, writer's block, and more

Related Stories

Do you know the story of how BlendTec used Will It Blend to keep content fresh about industrial-strength blenders?

While a big fan of their super smart and creative videos, I didn’t know the idea to see what their blenders could blend came about because an executive noticed sawdust on the floor.

As it turns out, employees were putting broom handles in the blenders to see if they would blend.

And they would.

And so was born the “try this at home” and “don’t try this at home” campaigns to show just how the blenders work.

One of my favorite videos is when the first generation iPad came to market and they blended one. They put a nearly $1,000 piece of technology in a blender…and blended it up!

This, of course, was part of their “don’t try this at home” series. I don’t think you really want to blend an iPad.

The point is this: They make blenders. They have lots of competition. Their blenders are not cheap. They needed a story to help build the brand and make people aware of its incredible strength, but also to set itself apart from the competition that seemingly do the same thing.

And a story they found.

Keep Content Fresh

I consider myself a pretty good storyteller. I write every, single day. Even though I didn’t start out as a great blogger (which I am reminded of every blog anniversary, when I re-publish our very first blog post), I put something on proverbial paper every day.

Now companies hire us to help them tell their stories … and guess what? Sometimes even we get stuck.

We work with manufacturing companies. We work with financial services companies. We work with software as a service companies.

None of those companies have anything in common, which requires us to be extremely creative—in different ways—multiple times a day.

To help us tell their stories, we do a few things to stay creative and keep content fresh:

Subscribe to SmartBrief. I’m a big, big fan of the SmartBrief newsletters. They aggregate a bunch of content every day (at least 10 articles) around one topic (I subscribe to entrepreneurship, leadership, and social media). It’s pretty likely they have a newsletter for your industry.

Subscribe to Talkwalker alerts. I love, love, love Talkwalker alerts. And I love them even more now that I can throw them into a newsfeed in Hootsuite instead of having them come into my email. Create an alert for your industry or your specialty and pay attention to the trends. There are a lot of content ideas in there.

Read the comments. Maybe no one is commenting on the content you create. We certainly have clients like that. Readership and subscribers grow significantly every month, but no one comments. So read the comments on other blogs inside the industry. Read the Twitter streams. Read the comments on Facebook updates. This is what we’ll call real-time research. Find out what strikes the fancy of your audience.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/38531911/0/spinsucks~Four-Ways-to-Keep-Content-Fresh/feed/99http://spinsucks.com/communication/go-set-a-watchman/The Epic Legacy Building Opportunity of Go Set A Watchmanhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103708504/0/spinsucks~The-Epic-Legacy-Building-Opportunity-of-Go-Set-A-Watchman/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103708504/0/spinsucks~The-Epic-Legacy-Building-Opportunity-of-Go-Set-A-Watchman/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 17:58:26 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=34123The newly released book by Harper Lee—Go Set a Watchman—is published with some criticism. Daniel Schiller has why it should have been done differently

Go Set a Watchman: Spin is the Symptom

The latest account is that Harper Lee’s “estate trustee, lawyer, and friend” whom, upon uncovering the manuscript in a safe deposit box, and confirming the work was distinct from To Kill a Mockingbird, left the room.

Yes, she walked out of the room leaving a literary agent and appraiser.

This was in 2011.

Remember the manuscript was “discovered” in 2014. Or was it 1960?

And so publishers, sales reps, and attorneys—in the lyrical language of the HarperCollins news release—are “humbled” and “amazed” in the presence of this “masterpiece.”

Of course they are! There is an epic payday coming!

What About Harper Lee?

By all reports she can’t very well answer for herself, so her spokesperson—the same lawyer in line to get paid—is doing it for her.

Indulge my doppleganger, but if Lee’s attorney and executor delayed publication, let us say for 10 years, that would be without the author’s tacit approval.

As long as the author is around to supply a statement for a news release, that makes this all okay.

Sure it is. Harper Lee has not given an interview in 55 years.

As Marcellus quipped, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”

And so it is in the hamlet of Monroeville.

Legacy is the Antidote

But don’t write that gothic-style ending yet.

Make no mistake, there is a huge opportunity here to create an inspiring narrative. That is what we flacks do best after all—craft stories that inspire, earn attention, and build lasting relationships.

Go Set a Watchman begs to be a part of something greater than a retail transaction. There would be no To Kill a Mockingbird without it.

So let’s consider how some of the proceeds can inspire greater stories and outcomes:

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103708504/0/spinsucks~The-Epic-Legacy-Building-Opportunity-of-Go-Set-A-Watchman/feed/0http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/caught-in-the-busy-trap/Caught in the Busy Trap: Is it Making Us Less Productive?http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103675632/0/spinsucks~Caught-in-the-Busy-Trap-Is-it-Making-Us-Less-Productive/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103675632/0/spinsucks~Caught-in-the-Busy-Trap-Is-it-Making-Us-Less-Productive/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 10:58:53 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=12601The busy trap is something we all get caught in, but is it making us less productive, less efficient, less social, and very unhappy

The author, Tim Kreider, relayed a story about asking a friend to blow off work to check out the new American Wing at the Met and the friend said he was super busy, but to let him know if there was a special event or something and he’d try to make it.

Kreider said,

This is the special event. I’m inviting you to go with me.

But the idea this friend of his would skip work just to go hang out is so foreign to a lot (most?) of us.

How many of you fall into this trap? When someone asks you how you are, you say, “OMG. I’m crazy busy!” And the person responds with, “Better than the alternative!”

I think about this story every time someone tells me how busy they are…or when I start to fall into that trap myself.

The Busy Trap

It turns out “busy” doesn’t mean “getting a lot accomplished.”

We’ve fallen into, what Kreider calls, the busy trap.

You can certainly be busy reading blog posts and participating on social media and creating content…without actually driving a real return-on-investment.

I’ve been there. I get it. I even fall victim to it occasionally….typically when I’m overly tired and have way too many things on my to-do list.

She explained that she over-schedules her life. So much so, in fact, it’s impossible for her to enjoy life because she’s too busy getting from one thing to another.

But she had an epiphany…accidentally. Her phone’s battery died and she was stuck at a concert without the ability to tweet, Facebook, text, or take photos.

At a concert without a phone!

After getting over the initial shock, she said,

I’m so glad I didn’t bring my phone. I danced. I laughed. I watched with delight the world around me. I even talked to strangers.

We’re so focused on being responsive 24/7 that we forget to life our lives.

Creating Less Noise

In November of 2011, we decided to go completely virtual.

We gave up the fancy and trendy River North office space and the Gini Dietrich cafeteria (four-star and James Beard award-winning restaurant, Naha) in favor of staff meetings via Skype, treadmill and bike desks, wearing workout clothes all day, and doing laundry while working.

At first, it was hard. The computer was always on and emails were coming in at all times of the day and night (that actually hasn’t changed…we’re all just better about not answering them).

I found myself getting even more entrapped into, “I’m so busy!” But I wasn’t really busy. I just didn’t know how to turn it off.

So I stopped working weekends.

Sure, there are still some weekends I work (and I often get caught up on writing content for this very blog on Sunday afternoons), but it’s by choice and not by necessity.

What I discovered before that is, on Fridays, I would tell myself I could do whatever needed to be done over the weekend. And then I procrastinated. And procrastinated some more.

Because of it, I often lost an entire work day of productivity.

Dumb, right?

But I was soooooo busy!

It turns out, no one dies if you don’t answer their email in the evenings or over the weekends.

In fact, no one dies if it takes you a couple of days to get back to them.

Funny, right?

When you give yourself a deadline of getting through your to-do list or, in my case, Inbox Zero by Friday at 5:00, you actually get it done.

Get yourself out of the busy trap, stop talking about how much you have to do, and start getting things done.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103675632/0/spinsucks~Caught-in-the-Busy-Trap-Is-it-Making-Us-Less-Productive/feed/172http://spinsucks.com/communication/nail-a-media-interview/Thirty-Eight Tips to Nail a Media Interviewhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103593294/0/spinsucks~ThirtyEight-Tips-to-Nail-a-Media-Interview/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103593294/0/spinsucks~ThirtyEight-Tips-to-Nail-a-Media-Interview/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 16:58:22 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=34099It doesn't matter who you are or how much experience you have, everyone needs media interview tips from time-to-time. Here, Elena Verlee has 38 to help

Related Stories

A media interview can cause even the most confident person to feel butterflies in their stomach and sweat in their palms.

Last year, I had a client CEO doing a TV interview in New York above the Nasdaq trading floor.

For him it was both a dream come true, and a nightmare scenario.

He was so nervous, I hesitated telling him it was a live media interview!

We practiced together the day before, and he told me he practiced by himself that same evening until he felt a sense of ease.

The next day, he nailed the media interview.

If you have a nervous spokesperson, help them conquer that fear using the 33 tips in this new media training infographic I created in partnership with Udemy.

Nail a Media Interview with These Tips

In addition to the tips in the infographic, below are five extra tips specifically for a spokesperson who will be interviewed on video or on television.

Wear the Right Outfit. Avoid wearing stripes, complicated patterns, or colors that match the chair you’ll be sitting on. A solid, jewel tone works best.

Wear Makeup. Both men and women benefit from wearing a little makeup for the interview. A little can go a long way to even out skin tone and eliminate shine from sweat.

Ask About the Framing. Will it be a full body shot, just the head and shoulders, or a headshot? Using hand gestures once in a while is important even in a head-only frame, so you appear more animated and don’t look like a talking head.

Practice on a Webcam (or a Post-it note stuck on the wall). This is a great way to prepare if the interviewee will be talking straight into a camera with hosts in another location.

Nail the Opening Statement. Come up with an opening statement that gets the interview going right away. If you’re not asked a direct question, take charge by being polite and acknowledging your host then get a message point in there such as, “Thanks (host name), for the opportunity to talk about (topic or key message).”

Check out the full infographic below to ensure every media interview will go smoothly, and your spokesperson will enjoy the experience with confidence.image credit: Shutterstock

This is a pretty straight forward guideline. One you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who disagrees.

However, understanding this to be true and executing upon it are two very different things.

Often the hardest part of communications plan development is truly being able to take a subjective look at the organization, itself—the strengths, weaknesses, and different components in play (both internally and externally).

And, once you have that vision, understanding how you want it to evolve.

What Type of Car is Your Organization?

I went through a phase a few years ago where I would assign a car to every guy I dated, based on his personality and appearance.

It was an amazingly accurate and easy way to classify what I liked and didn’t like about them—and a lot of fun.

(I’m an engineer’s daughter, don’t judge me.)

I recently realized this same classification could be done with organizations—sort of like an organizational persona—and, by doing so, help determine the strengths and weaknesses of each to help guide the development of a communications plan to fit.

So today we are going to do a fun exercise—find your organizational “car persona.”

Vroom, vroom!

If you work with a PR Firm, you can do this one of two ways. You can either do it for your own firm, or you can choose a client.

Otherwise, do it for your organization.

Start your engines folks…..because here we goooooooooooooo.

*Disclaimer: This post is meant to be a fun way for you to think differently about your organization. Spin Sucks will not be held responsible for any head-on collisions created if you go to your boss or client and tell them they are running an over-priced mini-van or present your communications plan covered in car oil (#tuneuptime). Also, please remember to always buckle up.

The Car Body Type Guide to Your Communications Plan

While different car models, add-ons, and frills make them distinct, every car has a basic body type, and that body type sets the foundation of who they are and what they can become.

Organizations are the same way.

While your organization is unique in the details, it will follow certain patterns based on product, team, goals, and structure.

To choose your body type, choose two or three you automatically gravitate towards and then research the pros and cons.

That will guide you and your communications plan.

I’m going to lay out two examples to help you get the hang of it.

With each example I’ve provided some basic communications plan suggestions based on the tendencies outlined in the car persona.

These need to be evaluated individually based on your unique situations in your own communications plan.

Are You a Sports Car?

You are fast, powerful, and showy.

An on-road performer and at your best when you are in execution mode.

You focus on speed and performance.

You need to be front and center. You are an organization or brand people can point to directly (vs. one that does solid work, but behind-the-scenes).

People feel prestigious to be connected to you. You might be a luxury product or simply a brand which makes people feel they are part of an elite club.

You are expensive both as start-up and as maintenance (and expensive refers to all resources—time, money, energy, materials, human).

Likewise, if you make a mistake it is out front and center—media, customers, vendors—everyone knows and feels personally harmed.

You tend to not be very efficient (high fuel economy), and the bigger you are the less efficient you become.

If something goes wrong it goes majorly wrong and can be difficult and expensive to repair.

Communications Plan Tips for Sports Cars

Take advantage of your ability to build strong communities (online and off) and brand ambassadors.

There will be a tendency to have all earned media be focused on ego hits—avoid it.

Make sure you are very clear on messaging and voice. Everyone on the team, and especially everyone speaking for the brand (on social, through earned media, writing any content, on the front lines—sales, customer service, etc) should be trained and checked against these guidelines.

There might be a tendency to throw money at things needlessly. This tendency could spill over into the communications plan leading to excesses and pointless tactics that don’t serve the laid out goals.

Are You a Van?

You aren’t flashy or considered luxury. Customers coming to you looking for a practical solution that works.

There is nothing exceptional bout your performance other than it’s reliability.

Your organization structure and/or culture might be considered clunky and outdated, but there is no big push to change because “it works.”

You have a hard time attracting new talent.

You might be a “behind-the-scenes kind of company. While customers rely on your greatly, you might not be the product or service they automatically credit when thinking about their success.

Talk about gas-guzzler. You use up resources quickly. Not in the flashy way of the sports car, but in a lot of admin and operations costs.

Communications Plan Tips for a Van

Your customers like consistency and stability. Make sure messaging follows suit, no matter where you are communicating–social, blog, earned media, guest posts.

Just because you might not be a flashy product, doesn’t mean you can’t define yourself for the value you do bring. Find unique ways to share customer stories and testimonials. Think about customer spotlights, interviews, and videos.

Don’t let yourself default to boring. Think outside the box when it comes to tactics. Stay within the realms of what your target customer will feel comfortable with, but don’t be afraid to try new things just because no on else in your industry is.

Make a clear effort to add a strong human element to your brand and outreach. Help your customer see you as more than just a vendor or brand.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103545454/0/spinsucks~The-Auto-Guide-to-Your-Communications-Plan/feed/15http://spinsucks.com/social-media/gin-and-topics-greatest-belly-dancer/Gin and Topics: Greatest Belly Dancer on Earthhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103198660/0/spinsucks~Gin-and-Topics-Greatest-Belly-Dancer-on-Earth/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103198660/0/spinsucks~Gin-and-Topics-Greatest-Belly-Dancer-on-Earth/#commentsFri, 24 Jul 2015 16:58:17 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=34089This week's Gin and Topics has five great videos, as normal, but the best (we have to say) is the guy who paints his stomach and belly dances. Very funny!

5. Greatest Belly Dancer. This might be the best thing I have ever seen. A guy paints his stomach with different faces and then belly dances. It’s pretty clever and very funny!

4. Back It Up. Sean Hayes and his partner are back, this time with Jhoni Marchinko. They lipsynce Back It Up and it’s great! I cannot believe they didn’t just die when he “backs it up.” I really love these videos. Love.

3. The Best Ball Boys in the World. I could never teach Jack Bauer to do this. He won’t fetch, let alone sit still while a ball is in play. Alas, we shall leave it to the show dogs, who are pretty incredible!

2. Rock Climbing Baby. The toddlers love to climb things so why not put one on a rock climbing wall? This little dude has it down!

1.Point Pleasant Police Department. This is so gross, but so dang funny. I don’t know why grown men spitting food at one another is funny, but it is. Perhaps I’m an eighth-grade boy in disguise…or I just think everything Jimmy Fallon does is hilarious.

Paul is one of my most favorite people on earth. He’s smart. He’s witty. He’s the father of three and isn’t afraid to be a big kid with them. He’s a newly minted business owner. He’s ahead of the PR trends. He’s opinionated.

And, so, I have asked him to sit on the Spin Sucks Inquisition hot seat.

What is the Biggest Mistake You’ve Made in Your Career?

A few years ago, Gini featured me in the #followfriday series.

In British military parlance, the Crazies subjected me to a “beasting” and my life has never been the same since.

What I’d give for a sleep without nightmares…

Seriously though, I could pick one of several things here; I’m not averse to making mistakes!

It could be staying too long in my first agency job (I was at the company for six years but, with hindsight, should have moved on after three) or it could be not setting up as an independent consultant sooner.

But the biggest error I’ve made—and I blame my wife partly for this—was when we went into business together in 2006.

Michelle was made redundant and I quit my PR job so we could set up a company selling high quality pet accessories. The market was booming, people were flush and it seemed like a great idea.

The mistake I well, we, made was to open a high street store rather than focus purely on the Internet.

eCommerce was big in 2006, but not like it is now, and our vision was to build a chain of stores that were more like fashion stores than pet shops inside.

The store we opened was fantastic and people loved it. We won a retail industry award for it.

But we chose a poor location and just a few months later the credit crunch hit.

Within a year, traffic to the store had dried up and we had to close it.

We focused on the web for a couple more years, but the huge losses we made on the store meant that the profits we were making online were eaten away.

Three years after we established the business, we had no option but to sell it on and were left with a mountain of personal debt.

It was a very tough time for us and it’s taken us many years to recover.

In a funny way though, I wouldn’t be doing what I am now without that business, as I learned everything I know about digital marketing and SEO and social media out of necessity.

Nobody taught me this stuff and I’ve never been on any courses; I’ve just learned through bloody hard work because I needed to.

But would I go back to 2006 and change things if I could?

You bet.

What is One Thing about Yourself that Would Surprise Most People?

When I was 11-years-old, I broke the school 100 meters record.

When I was 15, I broke two school windows in one day.

It’s been an up-and-down kinda life.

If You Could Achieve Everything You Ever Wanted in Life, but Had to Die 10 Years Sooner, Would You Make that Trade?

In short, no.

Going back a few years before I had kids, I’d probably have answered differently, but having children changes you dramatically. Your entire outlook on life, the universe, and everything shifts.

Everything I do in life now is centered around my family; even my decision to set up as an independent digital media consultant last year was driven largely by wanting to be a better provider for my wife and kids.

So given all that, there’s no way I would take personal achievement over being with my family for an extra 10 years.

I want to be there when my children graduate from college and get married and have kids of their own.

I want to watch my grandkids grow up.

That’s what will give me pride and my life meaning in the years to come.

Given that, you could argue that I might achieve everything in want in those extra 10 years, anyway.

What Industry Advice or Practice Would You Most Like to Cry Foul On?

It’s not really advice or a practice, but I wish the PR industry would take more responsibility for their own knowledge, learning, and careers.

I’m generalizing, of course, and I know some hugely progressive comms people who are amazing. But it frustrates the life out of me that so many aren’t bothered about reading blogs and books to further their knowledge.

It’s no secret the PR industry has been spectacularly slow to adapt to the affect of data and digital media, but I can’t see anything changing in the near future and I can’t help but wonder what it will take to instigate real change.

We are looking at an entire generation for the industry to evolve properly, but when I look around it’s hard to see where the new senior talent will come from.

I wrote a couple of posts on my blog just recently about how the SEO industry is evolving very, very fast and starting to upskill its teams and employ new people to do the digital PR job.

The two are so closely intertwined.

The PR industry needs to do the same, but I’ve seen little evidence of any dramatic shift in mindset or ability when it comes to digital literacy, and I fear for the industry as a whole if that doesn’t change fast.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/103148322/0/spinsucks~The-Spin-Sucks-Inquisition-Paul-Sutton/feed/30http://spinsucks.com/communication/media-relations-pitch-the-right-outlets/Media Relations: A Quick Test to Pitch the Right Outletshttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102999598/0/spinsucks~Media-Relations-A-Quick-Test-to-Pitch-the-Right-Outlets/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102999598/0/spinsucks~Media-Relations-A-Quick-Test-to-Pitch-the-Right-Outlets/#commentsThu, 23 Jul 2015 16:58:32 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=34003We're all busy and have journalists and bloggers to pitch in our media relations efforts. Finding the right outlets with these tips will save you time

Related Stories

One of the beautiful things about the Internet age is the low barrier to becoming a content producer and publisher.

Almost anyone can quickly create a Tumblr or WordPress blog, write a few quick articles and voila! You’ve taken the first step to becoming a media magnate.

This has allowed people to create very specific and involved niche communities with great publishing platforms and content, but it also means there is a lot of garbage.

It’s often difficult to tell the difference at first glance.

Some really crappy looking websites have great content and communities, while some blogs created from beautiful Squarespace templates are totally worthless.

Media Relations and Placing Stories

We work hard on media relations and we all want a placement in The New York Times or Inc. magazine, but as we start digging into niche online publications and blogs it gets harder and harder to tell what’s worth the time and what isn’t.

You won’t often get great media kits with useful demographic and readership information.

Really, you can’t judge based on readership numbers anymore, anyway.

Often these very specific niche blogs will have relatively low traffic, but they will be the perfect target audience for your message.

Finding these outlets is hard enough, but it can also be incredibly time-consuming to judge which of them is worth your time.

Prioritizing them can be next to impossible.

I have developed a few quick indicators that will let you know whether a site it worth your time to fight for a press win or a link for your portfolio, which often turn out to be the same thing.

Five Steps to Judge Media Relations Placement Effectiveness

Here are five quick steps that will help you judge the quality of a media relations placement in less than five minutes.

1. Relevance

It turns out that 500 of the right people are much more valuable than 5,000 of the kinda-sorta right people.

How closely does this site fit the niche or target audience that you are looking to reach?

Give it a score of one to 10. Anything less than a five or six should give you pause.

This is an important concept for SEO link-building, as well.

Google passes more link equity for terms that are related or relevant to the source of the link.

That is, if you want to show up for “public relations” in search results, links from sites related to PR are more valuable than those related to synchronized swimming.

Imagine that.

2. Domain Authority (DA)

This is a concept taken straight from SEO.

It is a metric from one to 100 created by a company called Moz in an attempt to emulate the trust and authority that Google gives to sites.

It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely a good indicator.

The higher the DA, the more likely that site is an authority on its subject matter.

This means it’s a better destination for your content, as well as a better source for links.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102999598/0/spinsucks~Media-Relations-A-Quick-Test-to-Pitch-the-Right-Outlets/feed/5http://spinsucks.com/marketing/the-10-commandments-of-online-etiquette/The 10 Commandments of Online Etiquettehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102853280/0/spinsucks~The-Commandments-of-Online-Etiquette/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102853280/0/spinsucks~The-Commandments-of-Online-Etiquette/#commentsThu, 23 Jul 2015 10:58:24 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=13908The 10 commandments of online etiquette were created because of black hat email marketing and social media techniques. It's time to do things the right way

Related Stories

How about when you meet someone and they automatically add your to their newsletter list?

And how many of you love to get information that talks all about the sender and tells you nothing valuable?

How often do you unsubscribe to email lists and newsletters or click “junk” so they don’t hit your inbox at all?

How many of you know organizations that push their messages via the social networks, but don’t use it to engage, network, or build community?

I’d venture to guess every one of you.

If you are right with me—you hate this stuff—I want to know why you do this to others when you get behind your computer at work.

Some Examples

I ask these questions when I speak, particularly when I do three or four hour workshops. It allows us to dig deep into why people do this at work, but hate it as a consumer or buyer.

A couple of years ago, I did some research on different programs for a CRM for a client.

I spoke to five different companies.

Of the five, three added me to their newsletter list without my permission. Simply because I called looking for additional information.

I’ve received emails from companies telling me they’ve added me to their email distribution list and to let them know if that’s not OK.

These are not typically companies I’ve ever communicated with…and why would someone want to add me to their list if I’m not a potential buyer?

I’m sure this is a sales technique of some sort. Maybe it’s to see if I check my email and, if I respond (even if it’s to say no, it’s not OK they added me to their list), they know it’s a viable email address.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102853280/0/spinsucks~The-Commandments-of-Online-Etiquette/feed/191http://spinsucks.com/social-media/are-you-sure-you-want-to-leave-facebook/Are You Sure You Want to Leave Facebook?http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102768912/0/spinsucks~Are-You-Sure-You-Want-to-Leave-Facebook/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102768912/0/spinsucks~Are-You-Sure-You-Want-to-Leave-Facebook/#commentsWed, 22 Jul 2015 16:58:28 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33973Facebook has once again changed it's algorithm, which makes the heads of marketers pound. But publishing long-form content there might actually work

If there is one constant thing about Facebook, it would be the algorithm changes. With the exception of Google, there isn’t another network that changes its algorithm so much.

Which leads us to today’s topic, you guessed it….Facebook.

Because Facebook changed its algorithm in June, again!

So What’s the Big Deal?

If previous changes meant you had to publish more links, then images, then links again, then you had to engage your fans by asking more questions, this time the latest change is all of that and more.

It gives us a glimpse into what’s next in social media marketing.

Let’s Start From the Beginning

Earlier this year, Facebook quietly invited major media companies such as The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and National Geographic to host content directly on the platform (through the Facebook Instant Articles), so users don’t have to go to an external site (and leave Facebook).

Why would any media company allow a third-party to publish their content and keep it all there?

There are times when, for example, people want to see information about a serious current event, but don’t necessarily want to like or comment on it. Based on this finding, we are updating News Feed’s ranking to factor in a new signal—how much time you spend viewing a story in your News Feed.” — Facebook said on their blog.

Which means, for your content to have more visibility, Facebook wants you to publish long-form content—or an entire blog post or article directly on the platform rather than directing users to your own blog or website.

Did you see this coming?

So, while Medium declares itself a social network, not a publishing tool, Facebook is going the opposite direction to incorporate long-form content This slowly, but surely begins to kill a brand’s blog in an effort to make the user experience, in their own words, “more seamless.”

They plan to be the “all inclusive” and “to go” platform, for publishing content, interacting with your audience, reading the news, sharing the latest videos of your crazy, cat or keeping up with your friends.

Bottom line, they plan for you to stay on Facebook.

Period.

What Can Marketers Do?

If you’re in digital marketing, you know have a little more on your plate.

You have to figure out what to do.

Should you jump in and publish all your blog posts directly on Facebook and forget about your blog?

Should you stay cool, ’cause this too shall pass?

Well, there is no straight answer.

As everything with digital, you have to experiment and see what works for your brand.

Facebook is not the only one tying to attract and keep the users on their platform.

LinkedIn imagined more of the same when they launched LinkedIn Pulse, which, by-the-way, crossed one million writers this month.

If, until now it’s been all about attracting audience to something you own(blog/website) and we used social media to spread the word, now the roles are reversed.

Are You Sure You Want to Leave Facebook?

Social channels such as Facebook or LinkedIn become content channels, which want their own content, not links to external sites.

Today, given the changes happening in social media, is probably more important than ever to define your why. What are your objectives and goals, and what do you want to achieve through social media?

It gets more and more expensive, so it’s time to narrow down your focus and stop throwing money on the newest, shiniest channel and direct your attention and money to where your audience is really spending time.

What can I say? We live in interesting times.

Your turn now: Have you tried publishing long-form content on your Facebook page? How did it go?

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102768912/0/spinsucks~Are-You-Sure-You-Want-to-Leave-Facebook/feed/5http://spinsucks.com/communication/six-tips-for-better-business-writing/Six Tips for Better Business Writinghttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102704556/0/spinsucks~Six-Tips-for-Better-Business-Writing/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102704556/0/spinsucks~Six-Tips-for-Better-Business-Writing/#commentsWed, 22 Jul 2015 10:58:40 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=12493Text language is ruining communications and producing lazy writers in the corporate world. Here are six tips for better business writing that are easy to do

Now we have a running joke where we use #mymomsaidlol when something strikes us as hilarious.

Fast forward to earlier this week and I received a text that said, “What r u doing?”

I said, “Is this Bella?”

Laney responded, “No.”

I said, “Y r u texting me like u r 13?”

And, of course, she responded with, “#mymomsaidlol.”

It’s funny because it’s true, but it also drives me INSANE.

We Have Become Lazy

In today’s text, Twitter, social media world, people are getting more and more lazy about their grammar and spelling, according to This Embarrasses You and I*.

The article begins with this story:

When Caren Berg told colleagues at a recent staff meeting, “There’s new people you should meet,” her boss Don Silver broke in. “I cringe every time I hear” people misuse “is” for “are,” Mr. Silver says. He also hammers interns to stop peppering sentences with “like.” For years, he imposed a 25-cent fine on new hires for each offense. “I am losing the battle.”

And it’s not just Mr. Silver who is losing the battle. Companies across the country are fighting the same and it’s becoming an epidemic.

Schools have stopped teaching cursive handwriting. That makes sense, of course, as many of us no longer write longhand. But, along with it comes shorthand acronyms—LOL, WTH, *$, 2nite, <3, AISI, IMO, OMG —and they’re all reaching corporate world communications.

Heck, they had to create an entire dictionary on the lingo so those of us who didn’t grow up in the text world know how to understand what’s being said.

Homework in Text

It’s not just affecting the business world. According to BBC News, students are turning in homework completely written in text.

It’s fairly easy to figure out this person went to NY to see her brother and his family during summer break, but it certainly takes more energy and thought to figure out what message is being delivered.

If this is how your customers and prospects are being communicated to/with, do you think they’re going to want to do business with you?

But it’s not just text speak that is bringing down business writing and communications. Most don’t know the difference between their, they’re, and there or its and it’s.

Six Tips for Better Business Writing

Following are six tips for better business writing. And, if you’re so inclined, for better social media status updates, too.

Cut down on text slang. We all use LOL or OMG or WTH with the best of them, but particularly in business writing, spell out your acronyms. You don’t say LOL when you speak. Don’t write it, either.

Know the difference between your and you’re. Your is possessive, as in “your car” or “your business.” You’re is short for you are. Know which you’re trying to say.

Same for its and it’s. It’s is short for it is. Read your sentence out loud. If you can say “it is” without it sounding goofy, it’s is the proper use. If it sounds ridiculous, you can use its, which is possessive.

The word “that” is rarely necessary. If you can write the sentence without the word “that,” remove it. It’s very rare it’s a necessity.

Stop using the word “like.” Just like Don Silver in the example like above, like too many people like use the word like and it like sounds like really like unprofessional and like demeans like your expertise.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102704556/0/spinsucks~Six-Tips-for-Better-Business-Writing/feed/216http://spinsucks.com/social-media/five-social-media-automation-myths-busted/Five Social Media Automation Myths Bustedhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102485534/0/spinsucks~Five-Social-Media-Automation-Myths-Busted/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102485534/0/spinsucks~Five-Social-Media-Automation-Myths-Busted/#commentsTue, 21 Jul 2015 16:58:46 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=34011It's easy to get caught up in how social media is meant to be human and you shouldn't automate. But social media automation works perfectly well

We often see it as a replacement of the human element, which we cherish so much.

What we have really seen, though, is that more often than not, automation has enabled humans to do and achieve more.

Human history is a testament to that: It reduces errors, frees us of the mundane and repetitive tasks, and releases time for the really valuable activities.

In recent years, social media automation has been one of the most widely discussed topics in digital marketing circles and with good reason—a number of tools and apps that enable marketers to derive greater value out of social platforms have sprung up, and many have wondered if the automation will just kill the “social” in social media.

Some caution is great, but irrational fear has no place in the hyper competitive and fast moving markets we deal with today.

Social Media Automation Myths Debunked

Social media is— and will always be—about human interaction, but its utility and sphere of influence extends beyond this.

Both individuals and businesses today extensively use social media for news and content discovery.

Social is also a great platform for businesses to interact and engage with their customers and audience.

With so much activity on social media and huge numbers of fans and followers, it’s only but natural that social media power users would need a little bit of help from some smart tools, to not only maintain their presence, but also interact with their audience in a manageable way.

Following are five social media automation myths, and why you should junk your fears and embrace the helping hand of automation for social media management and marketing.

Automation Makes Social Media Impersonal

Realistically, the chances that your followers will find your content amidst the flood of notifications they receive in that time window are pretty bleak.

The only way to improve your chances of being noticed is to post content at a time when most of your audience is likely to be online.

In effect, your followers’ social activity patterns would determine your posting schedule. And you don’t need an expert to tell you how impractical it would be to keep reminders to post content at specific times during the day.

You need a scheduling app to do this…period!

Contrary to popular belief, using automation is not the equivalent of letting robots talk to your audience.

It’s just a smarter and more effective way of streamlining your social media activities.

Balance your scheduled posts with a few real-time updates every now and then, participate in conversations, respond to comments and you’ll see a nice boost in your social presence.

Using social media automation is all about getting organized and good planning, both of which are critical for effective marketing.

Scheduled Posts Lose Relevance

Scheduling your posts ahead of time simply ensures your social channels have an uninterrupted flow of content.

It renders stability to your social media campaigns and helps keep your accounts buzzing with interesting content even when you need to be away.

In fact, most content you’d like to share with your audience is not time sensitive, and you would definitely get more visibility having it published at the right time.

If scheduled right, automation works just as well for time-sensitive content.

Say, for instance, you’re hosting an event. You will have to begin promoting it on social media at least a few weeks in advance. In which case, posting event updates manually across multiple platforms would just eat into your time.

Automating such updates, on the other hand, would ensure that they’re published at the right time, without delay.

Considering that the best of social media schedules always leave room for ad-hoc posts, there’s always scope for you to share important information with your followers real time, as it happens.

Automation Reduces Your Control Over the Content Published

Social media automation can, and has, unfortunately backfired for some businesses, but that’s not because automation is bad.

It’s because those businesses were careless in using automation.

Keep in mind the social media tools and apps are built to reduce your workload, not eliminate it entirely.

When curating and scheduling posts to be published on your social channels, it’s important you review the content you intend to share.

For example, if you’re sharing an article written by someone else, read through it before you queue it for posting.

If you had to reduce the social scheduling process to three steps, it’d be this:

Identify relevant and interesting content;

Review chosen pieces of content; and

Schedule for sharing.

By curating and scheduling content ahead of time you’ll know exactly what your posts would look like, and you’ll have all the time to review it as well.

Automation is Expensive

It’s true that some social media automation tools could cost between $100 and $2,000 per month—but only some.

There are many great tools that are absolutely free and others are priced very reasonably for light use.

Here are a few tools that deliver great value at zero cost:

Followerwonk:A social analytics tool for Twitter, it helps you identify people with high social authority (influencers) among your followers. You can also compare your followers with those of your competitors, get a gender-wise break down of your followers, and track the number of followers you’ve gained and lost on a daily basis.

DrumUp: A content discovery, curation and scheduling app that generates a fresh stream of content everyday for your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts. It also lets you edit queued posts, create and schedule custom posts, and link a blog feed to your social accounts to post automatically. (Disclosure: I’m a co-founding member of the DrumUp team.)

IFTTT: You can create simple recipes for your social media activities with If this, Then That (IFTTT). It’s an extremely useful tool in automating repetitive actions. For instance, you can automatically share a picture you post on Instagram through Twitter by creating a standard “recipe” for the action.

Automation is for Lazy Marketers

If you’ve read this post up till here, you already know there’s nothing lazy about automation.

Social media automation apps enable you to manage your social presence and marketing campaigns better by cutting down time on repetitive, mundane tasks, so you can plan, get organized, and have a real social media strategy.

All this needs time and thought and social media automation allows you that.

There is no merit in manually managing multiple accounts for your business throughout the day, it will only increase chances of error and result in an unorganized effort.

Folks who shun automation are often slow adopters of technology and in a comfort zone of inefficiency. Technology is an enabler, embracing it to do better and work smarter is the wiser thing to do.

Now that we’ve got these misconceptions out of the way, here’s how you can amp up your social media presence:

Identify the tasks you can automate;

Pack your social media arsenal with powerful tools; and

Balance automation with real-time engagement.

Social media automation can help you achieve your marketing goals quicker and more efficiently. It is however important to use it right and smartly.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102485534/0/spinsucks~Five-Social-Media-Automation-Myths-Busted/feed/7http://spinsucks.com/communication/the-gawker-removal-story-isnt-about-church-and-state/The Gawker Removal Story Isn’t About Church and Statehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102419780/0/spinsucks~The-Gawker-Removal-Story-Isnt-About-Church-and-State/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102419780/0/spinsucks~The-Gawker-Removal-Story-Isnt-About-Church-and-State/#commentsTue, 21 Jul 2015 10:58:16 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=34050Gawker recently wrote a story, and removed it, with internal pushback. They stated outrage from readers and advertisers, but it's more about loss of vision

Related Stories

Nearly five years ago I wrote a blog post that, to this day, I regret writing.

You see, I forgot about the vision of Spin Sucks, which is to change the perception that most people have of the PR industry.

It is to provide the tips, tools, thoughts, ideas, and techniques to help our peers stay ahead of the ever-changing trends, and to do so ethically and with the long goal in mind.

I’ve also been a very strong proponent of attacking an idea, but not the person. I know what it’s like to be attacked personally because of something I stand for and I never want another human being to feel the way that makes you feel.

BUT.

I got wrapped up in wanting to belong to the popular crowd. I got wrapped up in the social media dissent surrounding the ideas of another human being. I got wrapped up in using this very blog to bring another person down, just to make a point.

And I was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong.

Yes, the idea of this person was wrong—and I still believe that today—but the way I handled my criticism was equally wrong.

Robots We Are Not

I am reminded of this every time I see an organization trip over their feet or make a mistake that could have been avoided.

We all are human (which is unfortunate because I’d really like to be a robot!) and we all make mistakes. But we also all have the chance to think things alllllll the way through before making a decision.

I didn’t think through my blog post all those years ago and Gawker didn’t think through an article they posted last week.

I won’t go into detail about the article that outed a high-ranking executive at one of the largest media conglomerates in the world—you can read it here if you like—but we will discuss our obligation as content creators—”real” journalists or not.

And this is the premise of every start-up, insolent blog in the world that has focused—since 2002 or 2003—on generating clicks from the mass consumer, no matter what it takes.

Gawker Can No Longer Be Insolent

Gawker is known for it’s slogan: “We put truths on the Internet.” And, in the early days of the web, that would have been enough.

It’s why TechCrunch and Buzzfeed and Mashable and Gawker exist.

But one day after this particular tabloid story ran, that outed a man who is married and has three children in the name of “putting truths on the Internet,” the managing partnership of Gawker Media voted—four to two—to remove the story.

The story involves extortion, illegality and reckless behavior, sufficient justification at least in tabloid news terms. The account was true and well-reported. It concerns a senior business executive at one of the most powerful media companies on the planet.

The media environment has changed, our readers have changed, and I have changed. Not only is criticism of yesterday’s piece from readers intense, but much of what they’ve said has resonated. Some of our own writers, proud to work at one of the only independent media companies, are equally appalled.

I believe this public mood reflects a growing recognition that we all have secrets, and they are not all equally worthy of exposure.

And the story was removed from the site (what I linked to above is a web archive, which just goes to show nothing can ever be removed from the Interwebz).

Church and State Exist if a Story Deserves to Be Told

The resignation letter to the staff from Craggs stated the reason he is resigning is because:

…the responsibility Nick (Denton) had vested in the executive editor is in fact meaningless, that true power over editorial resides in the whims of the four cringing members of the managing partnership’s Fear and Money Caucus.

It’s the old church and state argument. The advertisers—and fear of losing them—is making the decision of whether to remove a story for something other than “factual error or legal settlement.”

But, here’s the thing: They ran a story that was extortion at its finest. It is juicy because of who the extorted is—and his relationship to a person in power—but that’s it.

It provides no news value. It provides no “truths on the Internet.” It provides nothing more than click bait.

In Denton’s own words, “The media environment has changed, our readers have changed, and I have changed.”

Remember Who You Are and What You Stand For

It’s important to remember why you are blogging. It’s important to remember why you create content. It’s important to remember who you write for every day.

Your readers are the most important part of this whole Internet thing.

As my mom always says, “Remember who you are and what you stand for.”

If you do that, you’ll have success and never have to apologize for a mistake that could have easily been avoided.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102419780/0/spinsucks~The-Gawker-Removal-Story-Isnt-About-Church-and-State/feed/26http://spinsucks.com/communication/from-barbie-to-birchbox-the-evolution-of-content-marketing/From Barbie to Birchbox: The Evolution of Content Marketinghttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102232136/0/spinsucks~From-Barbie-to-Birchbox-The-Evolution-of-Content-Marketing/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102232136/0/spinsucks~From-Barbie-to-Birchbox-The-Evolution-of-Content-Marketing/#commentsMon, 20 Jul 2015 16:58:52 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33953Content marketing, of course, isn't new. Organizations such as Barbie, P&G, and American Express have been doing it for decades. Here are some new tips

Related Stories

If you follow the world of advertising and marketing, you know that it’s the biggest innovation since the iPhone.

From Then to Now

But content marketing isn’t really new—many brands have been creating original content for as long as there has been advertising.

In the roaring 20s, door-to-door salesmen would produce pamphlets for their prospects, both to inform and entertain.

In the 40s, soap operas were, of course, a result of needing to sell to housewives, sponsored by Procter & Gamble.

“Custom publishing” emerged in the 80s and 90s with branded sponsored magazines from everyone from Barbie to American Express.

In the Internet age, content marketing is more important than ever, but with more focus on the content and even less on the marketing.

Product information can now be discovered online within seconds, it doesn’t have to be a part of an ad.

As well, Millennials (those born in the 80s and 90s), and consumers, in general, are bombarded with much more advertising, and content marketing, than ever.

This means the bar for entertainment in content marketing, and marketing in general, has been raised.

Feel the Target, BE the Target

In earlier eras it was often enough to push out a brand’s message in a repackaged form, ideally with a bit of content around it.

Today, in such a saturated market for consumer attention, content marketing only succeeds if a brand truly understands their target segment, puts themselves in their customers’ shoes, and asks questions beyond the direct spectrum of the brand.

For example, if I were a consumer of my product, what would be the top 10 blogs that I read? Would I check these publications daily? Weekly? Monthly? Why do I read these blogs? What am I hoping to get from them?

It’s no longer about content marketing for the sake of content marketing. If you’re a brand competing in this space, make sure it’s relevant and interesting to your target audience.

More Than Just a Customer

Brands that execute successful content marketing don’t just write about the product or service, they write about things that are relevant to the product.

These brands treat followers and consumers like readers or an audience, instead of just, well, customers.

Two well-known brands that do this particularly well are Redbull and GoPro.

All related content, but none with the direct (key word: “direct”) intention to sell you Birchbox.

Room for Improvement: Post-content Creation

As to where the content is distributed, brands are leaning towards what I call the “jellyfish” approach where consumers are encountering the “tentacles,” or content, in many different places, their Instagram feed, Facebook wall, blogs they follow, shows they watch.

This brings me back to my point of understanding consumers, their lifestyles, and knowing the blogs or sites they visit.

But it’s important to not push content out blindly, different content works on different channels or networks; Instagram is much more personal than LinkedIn. Vimeo is more professional than YouTube.

As well, you have to carefully track what content works where, and where you have the most engagement.

Many brands are finding that content hubs on their owned sites build a deeper connection than via social channels.

There are many tools that make it easy to build owned content destination sites, oversee contribution, distribute content, and track performance.

You’ll need to do this to measure the return-on-investment of your efforts, and continue improving on them ongoing.

Always keep in mind that content may have indirect brand-building affinity value that is harder to quantify than other marketing channels.

As the field has evolved from purely informational content to organic, life-style oriented content over the years, I’m curious, how do you feel about content marketing? Are there certain brands that execute it particularly well? Do you think it’s effective?

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102232136/0/spinsucks~From-Barbie-to-Birchbox-The-Evolution-of-Content-Marketing/feed/10http://spinsucks.com/communication/a-bodybuilders-guide-to-communications-strategy/A Bodybuilder’s Guide to Communications Strategyhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102168754/0/spinsucks~A-Bodybuilders-Guide-to-Communications-Strategy/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102168754/0/spinsucks~A-Bodybuilders-Guide-to-Communications-Strategy/#commentsMon, 20 Jul 2015 10:58:27 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=34017Whether you are building a communications strategy or building a body, these five lessons from the bodybuilding world will contribute to your success

Related Stories

And this is why so many of my blog posts focus on the adventures, misadventures, and circumstances I face in life.

Life is where you learn to be human, and any communications strategy is about connecting with humans.

It just makes sense.

This also means most of you know about my tendency to injure myself with sharp objects, my love of unicorns and 80s rap, my ridiculously horrible inability to do laundry, and the fact at any given moment there is probably at least an 80 percent chance I’ll have no idea where my keys are (among other things).

Today’s post is about another very important part of my life (one many of you probably don’t know about), which directly relates to communications strategy development and success—body building.

Building a Communications Strategy

I compete in physique, which most people know as “bodybuilding.”

Anyone who follows me on Instagram, probably has some idea of this, but otherwise I’m pretty quiet about it online.

I also powerlift, but haven’t done a meet yet. My first one will be sometime this winter, whereas my next physique competition is coming up end of September.

I’ve learned so many lessons through this sport about life in general, but today we look at five lessons building a body can teach us about building (and executing) a communications strategy.

It takes time to craft and implement a successful communications strategy. Not to mention focus, attention to details, and an ability to analyze many individual pieces in context of the organization and it’s goals.

This is exactly what you do in competitive bodybuilding.

The Most Effective Work is Not the Most Prestigious

Any communications pro knows that it’s not the one “ego” placement in the New York Times which makes a communications strategy, but the tireless day-to-day, behind-the-scenes work.

It’s the content creation, the social media outreach and community building, the smart and targeted earned media pitches and placements, the measurement and analysis—these are where success happens.

Likewise in physique sports, while your time on stage is important, it’s not where a champion is made.

Instead it’s in the day-to-day grind.

The extremely non-glamourous work in the gym, the calloused hands, the constant attention to nutrition and fueling your body as it needs to be to successful, the mental work required.

Success is “built,” hence the word bodybuilding. And when it comes to your communications strategy the same holds true for “business building.”

Focus on Your Goals

This is one I struggled with quite a bit. I love being active and want to compete in ALLLL the things.

ALLLLLLLL the things.

I want to race triathlons, and do adventure races, and….and….and.

Unfortunately—despite my belief to the contrary—I am not a superhero. And therefore, my attempt to be a champion at everything, took away time and both mental and physical energy from the goals that mattered for my sport (and prevented me from being a champion at anything).

Your communications strategy must built upon the weak points, just as much as the strengths.

Success Takes Time

When we start with a new client we are very careful to set expectations.

Your domain authority won’t increase 12 points in three months. Nor will you be forced to run from paparazzi two weeks after initial earned media outreach (unless you did something very bad or have the last name Kardashian).

While we wish we could grant you instant success. We can’t. Success takes time and consistent, focused work.

Bodybuilding is much the same, despite the “six week transformation” stories you see, this isn’t the way the sport works.

It takes years (emphasis on the plural) to build a winning physique.

And guess what else? There is no off-season. You are either improving or you are prepping. There isn’t a time you just sit idle.

No matter what you do in life, if you want to be successful, you just have to put your head down, focus on your goals, and continue to pump out consistent, exceptional work day in and day out.

That alone is what creates success.

Integration is Mandatory

Bodybuilding isn’t just about lifting heavy things.

A successful physique athlete has to integrate many working pieces together:

Training

Nutrition

Psychological

Posing

All these things must be in focus and work hand-in-hand.

I have a coach whom I trust to be able to use his insight and knowledge, as well as his ability to have a comprehensive view of my situation (my body is like a start-up organization, and I’m the founder—it’s pretty difficult to be unbiased and detached from the immediate and emotional) to integrate everything together.

Likewise, a communications strategy must encompass all four media types and they must work seamlessly together—tactics for each supporting and complimenting those in the next.

Sure, you might be able to get some attention only focused on one media type and I might make some progress only caring about one aspect of my training. But goals aren’t reached by “might,” “maybe,” and “some.”

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/102168754/0/spinsucks~A-Bodybuilders-Guide-to-Communications-Strategy/feed/37http://spinsucks.com/social-media/gin-and-topics-faceketball-with-king-james/Gin and Topics: Faceketball with King Jameshttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101620274/0/spinsucks~Gin-and-Topics-Faceketball-with-King-James/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101620274/0/spinsucks~Gin-and-Topics-Faceketball-with-King-James/#commentsFri, 17 Jul 2015 16:58:55 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33941In this week's Gin and Topics, Jimmy Fallon is back with a game of faceketball with Lebron James. We also have talking animals, doggy daycare, and more

Related Stories

That’s right! Now you, too, have an excuse to use emojis all day and all night long.

I mean, this is serious business. You can participate in emoji fun all day today.

Vote: You can vote on the next Bitmoji to be released. Choose from some of the most requested emojis including Taco, Unicorn, Hotdog, Selfie, and Bacon! Simply tweet your vote to BitmojiApp with the #MyBitmoji hashtag (Bacon @BitmojiApp #MyBitmoji).

Profile picture: Change your profile picture to your favorite Bitmoji. All you have to do is download the app (iOS, Android), create your avatar, browse through the library of stickers, choose your favorite, and you’re done!

4. Doggy Daycare. Oh, Amy Schumer. You never disappoint. This is “filmed” at drop-off doggy daycare. Best quote: “I didn’t get my dog vaccinated because Jenny McCarthy said it would cause pawtism.”

3. Funny Animal Dubbing. These make me laugh! There is an entire series and they are hilarious. Talking animals = me in fits of giggles. Now if I could get a chimpanzee to walk down the street, holding my hand, while we both ate ice cream cones, my life would be complete.

1. Faceketball with Lebron James. I will preface this by saying I am not a Lebron James fan (sorry, Cleveland friends!). But this is H-I-larious! I love the concept, I love how James sat down so Jimmy could reach him (and Jimmy is not a short man). I love how he’s not as good at this as he is at real basketball. And I loved the dunk contest. Very, very funny!

Related Stories

OK. Maybe not that long ago. Perhaps more like five or six years ago. Neither one of us are old enough for it to be longer than that!

In all seriousness, I am very lucky to have some serious digital marketing brains in Chicago and Mana is one of them.

I was immediately drawn to her entrepreneurial spirit, her drive, her motivation, and the fact that she dresses her cats in little kitty clothes.

She founded Lightspan Digital, where they focus on doing social media for some of Chicago’s best organizations, and she and her team have become fast friends.

On my birthday this year, I got home to a gift on the porch. It was a chalkboard and chalkboard wine glass tags. It was if they were trolling my Pinterest page (they were) and it was perfect.

She was born in Romania and spent some time in Bulgaria before moving her way to the United States. She went to Brigham Young University and I remember thinking that was a fun thing we had in common (having grown up in Utah) the moment I met her.

She’s thoughtful, she’s kind, and you’re about to learn more about her on the Spin Sucks Inquisition.

What is the Biggest Mistake You’ve Made in Your Career?

In my corporate career, I made the mistake of caring too much about my performance reviews.

Specifically, the parts that said I was too outspoken, direct, and opinionated.

I should have said, “yes, yes, you’re right” and gone on to secretly sharpen some of those skills [insert evil laughter emoji].

Later on, those three “unskills” were key to the success of Lightspan. Now, people pay me to be direct [aka be honest about what will and will not help them]!

The biggest mistake I made in my business-owner career was to wish better sleep at night.

And as a result, I delegated financial decisions without asking for proper reporting back.

I believe I told my finance person, “I won’t worry until you tell me to worry.”

I didn’t communicate well, and I wanted to avoid the loss of sleep that comes with taking proper responsibility.

What I should have said was, “give me x,y,z reporting and I won’t worry until the data tells me to.”

We ended up getting into debt where we could have avoided it.

If I had had better visibility, I would have made other, albeit tough and unpleasant, decisions. We’d have been better off with the temporary pain of tough decisions than with the unexpected and longer-term paying off of debt.

What is One Thing about Yourself that Would Surprise Most People?

I am shy. People easily classify me as an extrovert, which I am, but I am nervous in new public situations.

I was raised to be very polite, the Romanian definition of polite.

So I overthink every new social situation so I don’t offend anyone.

Throw in cultural differences and it’s uber-shy-town for me.

If You Could Achieve Everything You Ever Wanted in Life, but Had to Die 10 Years Sooner, Would You Make that Trade?

Yes, I would. Because if I achieve everything I want, what else is there to live for?

I never really wished for a long life. I always wanted a full life.

But then I also love to learn new things, which could go on forever.

So maybe I shouldn’t make the trade, because I’ll never have achieved everything…

What Industry Advice or Practice Would You Most Like to Cry Foul On?

I want to cry foul on so many things, we’ll need a full blog post.

You CAN measure the effectiveness of social media marketing. If you can’t, it’s because you’re lacking the proper infrastructure and/or you’ve done things which can’t be measured. Or you hired an intern to do your social media marketing. Sorry to the bearer of bad news.

Stop talking about “engagement” as the end-all of business-verse. I have no idea what engagement means. Your audiences don’t know what engagement means. Think, what do they care about? They care about having fun, learning, being amazed, being smarter, being loved, feeling great, feeling important! You give them those things, they’ll give you love back. So stop wondering about how much engagement you got and start asking, how much of what matters to them did you give them? If you can measure that, you’ll be able to measure what you get in return, and it will be higher than zero.

Have you ever woken up from a Saturday afternoon snooze or raced back from work or the gym because you’re absolutely starving? Opened the fridge and experienced grade-A distress at the realization there’s nothing to eat?

That’s never stopped us being hungry—and it’s never stopped us eating something, either!

We always manage to rustle something up, whether it’s a courgette (aka zucchini) and sausage omelette because there’s no bread, or tomato puree and egg sandwiches because there’s no ham.

We make, we eat, and we move on.

Have You Been a Lazy Marketer?

Have you ever fed your audience a blog post in the same way you’ve fed yourself when there’s nothing in the fridge?

Then you’ve been a lazy marketer my friend, but we’ve all done it, haven’t we?

I’ve asked hundreds of marketers during the last five years of speaking, consulting and writing, “Have you ever clicked ‘publish’ on a blog post which you knew was sub-standard because you had a deadline to hit?

Most marketers nod, smile and agree without embarrassment or remorse.

Sometimes, when the gods are against us, we just need to bash it out right?

NO!

So how do we avoid finding ourselves in this situation?

It’s not easy to produce great content every time you hit publish and it’s impossible to publish a string of never ending home runs. But that doesn’t mean you can’t follow a better, more professional content publishing routine to stack the odds in your favor and make sure you always have your audience’s best interests at heart.

Eleven Content Marketing Ideas

Here are my top 11 tips for having great content ideas at your fingertips.

Survey your customers to find out what their biggest [relevant] problem is. How can you help solve it with your products, services, or expert advice? You’ll often be surprised at the answers and you can be sure it will get a good reception once it’s published, because you know for a fact your audience is interested in it.

Regularly ask your entire team for creative content ideas. Because they all work in slightly different roles, they’ll each have a different approach, which means you’ll get lots of different ideas. You’re pretty much guaranteed to find something you can use.

Search Quora, LinkedIn and Facebook groups, Twitter chats, and hashtags for genuine questions. If people are asking about it, you can be sure others are wondering the same thing—and probably searching for it on a variety of platforms, including YouTube and Google.

Spy on your competition to see what’s working for them using Social Crawlytics. You can see what topics and keywords get the most traction from their audience. Get inspired by the same topic and write your own version, making it better, more in-depth, and more valuable to your audience, of course!

Try persona empathy mapping to discover more about your audience. If you’ve never done this before, you can find our free templates online to guide you through what to do. By understanding your audience and breaking it down into the different personas of your audience you’ll find it easier to identify a bigger range of topics to write about. You’ll also find it easier to seed the content socially too, because you’ll have a greater idea of who to target with it once you’ve completed the exercise.

Research industry conference hashtags (past and present) to see what people talked about most. Conferences are a great way to discover fresh ideas, but the audience also does a brilliant job of curating the most popular, insightfu,l and thought-provoking content. Use this insight to inspire your content ideas.

Update previously popular content with current information and new ideas. If your audience found it interesting once, it’ll probably do well again.

Create your own content hub so you’re clear on what types of content you need to move people through an effective marketing funnel. Once you’re clear, it often helps spark lots of new ideas.

Get your house in order with a solid organized schedule. A tidy house means a tidy mind. You can’t be creative if you don’t have time to think. To get yourself a little more organized, there are free content planners online so you can see exactly where you’re thin on ideas and inspiration. Being prepared in advance allows you to think, research, and refine your content ideas at a leisurely pace, which often breeds more creativity and means you’re more selective with your ideas.

I love crime and gangster movies and all the various characters found within their stories. As long as it’s not too tenuous, try beingcreative by relating what you love to lessons you’re trying to teach. I’ve written about the marketing lessons you can learn from The Godfather, “Making people an offer they can’t refuse”is fantastic marketing advice and that’s from Don Corleone himself!

Remember…don’t be lazy, say no to rustle-ups, and go shopping for great ideas, instead.

If you feed your audience healthy portions of pre-planned content, content you know they’ll enjoy (because you bothered to ask them), you’ll get so much more from your marketing.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101417880/0/spinsucks~Dont-Be-a-Lazy-Marketer-Content-Marketing-Ideas/feed/10http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/give-and-take-leadership-when-to-be-assertive-vs-tentative/Give and Take Leadership: When to Be Assertive vs Tentativehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101364024/0/spinsucks~Give-and-Take-Leadership-When-to-Be-Assertive-vs-Tentative/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101364024/0/spinsucks~Give-and-Take-Leadership-When-to-Be-Assertive-vs-Tentative/#commentsThu, 16 Jul 2015 10:58:40 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33992In research for his book, Give and Take, Adam Grant looked at the difference between assertive vs tentative leaders and proactive vs passive employees

Even if someone is being paid to work for you, isn’t it nice to make them feel like they have the power over what they do and when they do it?

Considering the reasons why I started my own business (freedom, flexibility), I have always felt it was important to give my team members that same respect and ownership for what they do, but I wasn’t sure how to communicate that without relinquishing my authority.

Gini Dietrich taught me this one. Instead of asking, “Can you…?” or “Will you please…?” I quickly found that her, “Would you mind…?” requests made me feel something positive. They made me feel like I didn’t have to do what she was asking, but that it would really help her if I did. And feeling valuable and necessary is something that encouraged me to not only want to do the work, but to feel good about the work I do for her.

From research done by Adam Grant, a professor at Wharton, for his book, Give and Take, a study looked at assertive vs tentative leaders.

From the A Learning a Day blog post:

Volunteers were brought into a study and separated into teams to fold shirts. Half the team leaders were instructed to speak assertively/powerfully (“Do this!”) and the other half to speak tentatively/powerlessly (“Do you think doing this would be a good idea?”).

It was found that teams with proactive team members had 22 percent higher output under leaders who spoke tentatively. Proactive team members viewed them as open and receptive while they viewed leaders who made an effort to be assertive to be afraid of new ideas. The same study showed to be true in pizza delivery teams.

This behavior was found to be reversed in passive teams with less interested and less proactive team members. The more proactive the team, the less the need for an assertive leader and vice versa.

If you have a proactive team who is ready to take the bull by the horns, speaking “tentatively” or “powerlessly” works much better for them.

On the flip side, though, if your team is more passive, being assertive and telling them exactly what to do works better.

Assertive vs Tentative Leaders

That’s why Jess’s post makes sense. She is a driven business owner who is proactive and ready to rule the world.

My asking, “Would you mind…?” or “What do you think of this?” works better for her because it makes her feel part of the decision. In many cases, I am also asking her to make the decision (which is good for all of us).

But what if Jess were a clock watcher who only cared about leaving her desk and getting to her couch to watch The Bachelorette?

That kind of “tentative” leadership wouldn’t work. She’d be stressed about having to think and make a decision. It’d be much easier for her to be told what to do.

What’s interesting is there are both proactive and passive employees in every organization, which means the leader has to change his or her instruction to fit each individual.

Your proactive colleagues need to feel part of the decision. Your passive colleagues need to be told what to do. Neither is better or worse, but should fit who you are motivating to do a good job.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101364024/0/spinsucks~Give-and-Take-Leadership-When-to-Be-Assertive-vs-Tentative/feed/30http://spinsucks.com/communication/what-every-business-blogger-can-learn-from-saastr/What Every Business Blogger Can Learn from SaaStrhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101223324/0/spinsucks~What-Every-Business-Blogger-Can-Learn-from-SaaStr/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101223324/0/spinsucks~What-Every-Business-Blogger-Can-Learn-from-SaaStr/#commentsWed, 15 Jul 2015 16:58:15 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33922Content marketing isn't easy. There are tons of "experts" out there who tell you how to go from zero to 1,000 in four steps. SaaStr is more honest than that

Related Stories

Great investors love to send reading recommendations to their investees.

It’s not uncommon that all of my angel investors will send me the same article on the same day, or gift me a book on my Kindle, so I have quite a stack of reading on my plate these days.

But a few months ago one of my investors pointed me to a blog that has changed my life.

That’s a huge statement coming from someone who spent a career reading, developing, writing for, and pitching to blogs.

My world of PR in the last decade largely revolved around the blogosphere.

I follow many great blogs.

I’ve helped create some notable ones.

But other than this here Spin Sucks, I’ve never considered myself a complete nut job fan of a single blog.

A SaaStr Groupie

I waited a few days before opening the link to SaaStr, but once I was in, I was in.

I consumed every post on this blog in a weekend.

Every. Single. Post.

I subscribed to the newsletter (never done that before), and every week I wait for a new post that I eagerly read and share as soon as it’s live.

I’m going to the conference next year.

If I met Jason Lemkin, the founder of SaaStr, I will probably ask him to autograph my chest.

Why?

There are specific reasons this blog has hit me, and millions of others, square between the eyes and turned us into fanstrs.

There is no secret formula here; these are techniques every business blogger can adopt, and their marketing counterparts can help them build it.

Here they are.

Extreme Relevance

Five years ago Sasstr probably would have meant very little to me.I might have pointed my PR agency clients towards it, or even pitched Mr. Lemkin to ask if my clients could sponsor or contribute. But I wouldn’t have sniffed much at it beyond that.

Five years ago I wasn’t running a SaaS company. I wasn’t concerned with ARR vs. MRR, and how to get to the first 1,000 customers, and OMG is this normal?!

Now my life is a series of questions I’ve never had to ask and SaaStr has all the answers.

It’s important to note that I’m not just looking for generally good information about SaaS and SaaStr isn’t just providing general good insight.

Every post on this blog is highly specific to running a SaaS company, which means, it’s not just written for anyone who works in a SaaS company, it’s specifically written for the people who run them.

It’s highly specific to what I go through every day. It is 100 percent relevant to me, a SaaS CEO, 100 percent of the time.

You have the potential to have a captive, loyal audience that will engage; and

You are forced by default to produce very specific content.

This brings us to…

Actionable Content

We now live in an age when a significant portion of the content business people consume is created by their peers.

We, the PR industry, helped this along.

When I was running a PR agency, we quickly discovered the fastest way to get our clients into Forbes was to have them write a thoughtful contributed article that gets published.

Thus, the rise of thought leadership came about.

The fallout from this is that there is a lot of crap on the Interwebz.

I’ve sat in the room when the executive refused to dive any deeper into the subject matter, fearing that they were giving away their special sauce. Or, was afraid to go “off message.”

The results were published articles that really didn’t say much of anything.

SaaStr gives it all away (the knowledge that is) and so should you. I

f you want raving fans who will consume and share your content, engage with you online, and want to buy from you—you HAVE to give them something actionable.

They’ve already read about the three best ways to fill their funnel by some generalist B2C marketing guru.

YOU’RE the expert, which means you’re in a unique spot to tell them how filling a funnel looks for their market, for their size, for their customer base.

My favorite thing to read on the SaaStr blog is what didn’t work when they were building EchoSign and how they turned it around.

It’s straightforward, honest, and always includes a step-by-step “here’s how.”

Brilliant.

Now I have something I can apply to my business today. I’ll come back tomorrow to learn how to do the next thing.

Honesty

Let’s get back to that crap on the Interwebz for a moment.

The experts who write it (and the marketing folks who ghost write it—yeah that includes me) have made it sound so easy. So fool proof. Make this ONE change to your SEO and you’ll have so many inbound leads your phones will explode!

Stop. Just stop.

That makes people feel they can’t relate to your brand.

When you’re talking about how to go from zero to 1,000 with four easy steps, but your readers are burning their cash just trying to get to the first 100, you alienate your audience.

Get real with your community.

Tell them about your failures and what you learned.

Share with them exactly how to hit the important milestones that matter to them.

Help them feel okay about their missteps by acknowledging yours.

I go to SaaStr every day because I know I’m going to get served up a big plate of reality, not a pile of crap I’ll have to sift through to find on kernel of workable knowledge.

So that’s it. A pretty simple formula, a brave one, and it’s something you can do today.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101223324/0/spinsucks~What-Every-Business-Blogger-Can-Learn-from-SaaStr/feed/5http://spinsucks.com/social-media/fred-cook-author-qa/Join Fred Cook for a Special Author Q&A Todayhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101171666/0/spinsucks~Join-Fred-Cook-for-a-Special-Author-QA-Today/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101171666/0/spinsucks~Join-Fred-Cook-for-a-Special-Author-QA-Today/#commentsWed, 15 Jul 2015 10:58:34 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33970Fred Cook is the CEO of GolinHarris, a top 10 PR firm in the world, and the new author of Improvise. He joins us for our monthly author Q&A to talk careers

For any of you who have spent any time in agency life, you know he’s a whale in our industry.

Today he runs one of the most respected PR firms in the world, and he did it in a non-traditional way (barely graduating from college).

I first met Fred in the early days of my blogging career at a PRSA event. He and I disagreed on the topic of client service and he was a complete gentleman about it…even making me think I was right about some of my points (though I’m fairly certain he thought, “Okay, you little punk. Come back when you have some experience.”).

What You Will Learn

It’s not often you have the opportunity to ask anything and everything of a CEO of a $200 million PR firm. It’s rare you have one-on-one time with the leader of 1,500 employees in more than 60 offices. And you must certainly almost never have the opportunity to hear from a man who pulled his pants on, one leg a time, and went after what he wanted.

You’ll learn:

What being a doorman teaches you about problem solving.

How you can provide feedback to your CEO without fear of losing your job.

Why traveling abroad—especially to work, if only for a year—helps you your entire career.

Why this book isn’t just for new college graduates, or Millennials, in general.

How you can improvise in your job every day.

How the underdogs can win.

What it’s like to work with Al Golin (whom, I believe, still goes into the office).

So, get your questions ready, and grab some Gatorade (you’ll need the sustenance). Our author Q&As go at a fast and furious pace and you won’t want to miss a second.

Today’s Author Q&A with Fred Cook

At noon ET (that’s 11:00 CT, 10:00 MT, and 9:00 PT for those of you who can’t do time zones), Fred Cook will be here to answer any and all of your questions.

In order to participate, all you have to do is:

Make sure you have a Livefyre account or be ready to sign in with one of your social networks.

Come back here, scroll to the bottom, and write a comment in the form of a question. As soon as you hit “post comment,” Fred will see it and reply to you. You can even join the conversation around questions others are asking, if you like.

We’ll be here for an hour so you can join us the entire time or step in and out during the hour. It’s entirely up to you; just make sure you’re here before 12:59.

Win a Copy

Those of you who participate in today’s author Q&A with Fred Cook (even if you’re late to the party, but not if you’re an Arment Dietrich employee) will be entered into a random draw for a free hard copy of the book.

Don’t forget—you have to actually leave a comment, ask a question, or participate in the chat to be entered in the draw. Otherwise we won’t know you were here.

Get ready with your questions and join the conversation. And don’t fear! If you missed the live portion of this, we’ll keep the drawing open until midnight PT so you still have time to get in your questions.

Related Stories

Last week a company I had zero opinion about previously, ensured I will absolutely never give them a single cent of my money: Enter the CrossFit PR nightmare .

This wasn’t through some huge story breaking about shady business ethics, or because of a quality issue with their product.

It was through a tweet, and the company’s response to those who had a similar feelings as I do about it.

A Gross Misconception

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when I was seven years old.

This is something I have learned to live with as part of my everyday life, and normally, it has no bearing on the decisions I make about where I spend my money.

CrossFit presented me with a rare situation where these two things intersect when they sent a disgustingly ignorant tweet that simultaneously propagated common misconceptions about diabetes and used the very serious effects of the disease as a punchline to a really amateur, lazy joke.

Personally, I’ve never been very impressed with making jokes about people dying as a strategy for raising awareness about what killed them.

In this case, as someone who faces these issues, I wish I could have some words with Greg Glassman and try to figure out what world he lives in where this is a good use of his and the CrossFit time and effort.

I’d like to remind him that, according to The University of Arizona, those of us with type 1 diabetes have a mortality rate 5.6 times higher than the general public, and ask him what’s funny about that.

Good PR is Worth Extra Effort

Even if the tweet actually was in an effort to raise awareness about type 2 diabetes or not (I’m of the opinion that it wasn’t, and saying so is actually just one of the worst attempts at salvaging PR ever attempted), there are countless ways this CrossFit PR nightmare could have been turned around and raised awareness that wouldn’t have been so bafflingly stupid.

CrossFit doesn’t seem interested in the opinions of others, however. They would rather spend time flexing their corporate muscles, trying to look tougher than anyone who questions them.

It’s a rather fitting business model, but not a sustainable or healthy one.

The CrossFit PR nightmare has shown us it’s possible to insult and alienate a large group of potential customers in 140 characters or less, and that refusing to adapt and acknowledge mistakes is far more likely to rally people against you than bring them over to your side.

Good PR takes more work, but will always be worth it over the effortless idiocy we’ve seen here.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/101028978/0/spinsucks~The-CrossFit-PR-Nightmare/feed/21http://spinsucks.com/social-media/the-pan-am-games-wont-let-you-link-to-them/The Pan Am Games Won’t Let You Link to Themhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100972924/0/spinsucks~The-Pan-Am-Games-Wont-Let-You-Link-to-Them/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100972924/0/spinsucks~The-Pan-Am-Games-Wont-Let-You-Link-to-Them/#commentsTue, 14 Jul 2015 10:58:02 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33980A publication in the U.K. uncovered a slight issue with the Pan Am Games: They won't let you link to their website or use their hashtag without permission

The organizers of the Pan American Games in Toronto require people seek formal permission to link to its website.

The games have trademarked the term “TO2015.”

They are forcing people to put tape over their own computers if a computer company is a sponsor.

They are stopping people from drinking anything that isn’t a sponsor drink.

They are trying to prevent the Internet from entering the hallowed sponsor world.

Anyone who links to the website or anyone who uses the hashtag #TO2015 is violating its terms, and could be sued (well, crap…I linked to it up there!).

The website has yet to add a robots.txt file or other technical method to stop search engines from indexing and linking to the site, so they are effectively forcing Google et al to unwittingly and automatically break its own rules.

Even better, the author of said article emailed to get permission to link to the website and got this response:

Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently: branduse@toronto2015.org. Technical details of permanent failure…

To be fair, after this article ran on Sunday, the Pan Am Games website changed its terms so now all you need is permission to embed content from their site…not to link to it (thank heaven…I didn’t want to be sued).

You Can’t Control the Interwebz

It’s a rather humorous look at how organizations try to control messaging and customers and employees and conversations in today’s digital world.

But the scary thing is, this is not a one-off situation.

I run into executives several times a week who are afraid to participate in social media because they can’t control the message. Executives who won’t work with bloggers because they’re afraid of not being able to control the agenda. Executives who won’t let their employees use the Internet (not even The Google!) during work hours.

Of course, I always counsel that employees are using social media and Google at work…from their phones.

There are sites such as Glassdoor and Yelp and Indeed where people can leave reviews about you, your company, or your employees without repercussion.

There are people on the Internets who will use your hashtags and link to your site and make fun of you and even criticize you.

And there is nothing you can do about it.

Pan Am Games Should Encourage Participation

When I began my speaking career in 2009, this kind of stuff was expected.

We went from “this is just a fad” and “it won’t hit my business until after I retire” to “holy crap! We need to figure this out, pronto!”

And yet there are still lots of organizations—like the Pan Am Games—that exist.

What makes me sad is I don’t know why anyone would not want people linking to their website or using their hashtag.

If you create an opportunity for people to do both, you:

Build awareness of your brand or, in this case, get people around the blog excited about your events.

Increase your website’s domain authority and credibility, in the eyes of The Google.

Create community and build brand loyalists who want to tell your story for you.

Motivate people to buy…or to attend the games in person!

In the case of the Pan Am Games, this is a huge opportunity to show the globe why this can be a nice “in between the Olympics” substitute to our sports needs and to show off the impressiveness of its athletes.

You can’t control what people share. You can’t control where they link. You can’t control what they say.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100972924/0/spinsucks~The-Pan-Am-Games-Wont-Let-You-Link-to-Them/feed/63http://spinsucks.com/communication/four-content-marketing-lessons-from-anthony-bourdain/Four Content Marketing Lessons from Anthony Bourdainhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100823790/0/spinsucks~Four-Content-Marketing-Lessons-from-Anthony-Bourdain/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100823790/0/spinsucks~Four-Content-Marketing-Lessons-from-Anthony-Bourdain/#commentsMon, 13 Jul 2015 16:58:35 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33851Content marketing doesn't have to be boring. It doesn't have to tow the company line. It can, and should, be bold and daring like Anthony Bourdain

He mainly wrote fiction, but one article in The New Yorker propelled him to success.

Why was it so successful?

He was honest and did what no chef at the time would dare do… trash the restaurant industry.

It’s Best to Not Take Yourself too Seriously

A little self-deprecation is good for the soul, don’t you think?

He’s even written that it would be “entirely fair and appropriate” were he described as “a loud, egotistical, one-note ***hole who’s been cruising on the reputation of one obnoxious, over-testosteroned book for way too long and who should just shut the **** up.”

Need I say more?

Never Be Afraid to be Yourself Online

A caustic wit and a bit of black humor is in his DNA and he’s not afraid to show it.

He doesn’t hold back when it comes to discussing past mistakes.

And there’s that potent point-of-view.

Some say he’s gone too far with this in the past, but hey, it’s all part of the appeal.

In a nutshell: He’s not afraid to speak his mind.

And guess what?

He doesn’t care what you think

Proudly displaying imperfection, vulnerability, and just a enough anger.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100823790/0/spinsucks~Four-Content-Marketing-Lessons-from-Anthony-Bourdain/feed/7http://spinsucks.com/communication/choosing-a-brand-name-to-fit-your-business/Choosing a Brand Name to Fit Your Businesshttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100768018/0/spinsucks~Choosing-a-Brand-Name-to-Fit-Your-Business/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100768018/0/spinsucks~Choosing-a-Brand-Name-to-Fit-Your-Business/#commentsMon, 13 Jul 2015 10:58:26 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33924Choosing a brand name is no easy task. Learn what questions you should ask to find the most effective name for your business.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100768018/0/spinsucks~Choosing-a-Brand-Name-to-Fit-Your-Business/feed/23http://spinsucks.com/social-media/gin-and-topics-how-to-avoid-sharks/Gin and Topics: How to Avoid Sharkshttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100312774/0/spinsucks~Gin-and-Topics-How-to-Avoid-Sharks/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100312774/0/spinsucks~Gin-and-Topics-How-to-Avoid-Sharks/#commentsFri, 10 Jul 2015 16:58:37 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33913After a week off for the holiday, Gin and Topics is back with a fun episode of dancing, singing, Cookie Monster, hidden cats, and how to avoid sharks

1. Best Way to Avoid Sharks. In honor of Shark Week comes a video to help you avoid sharks. Pretty much the advice is stay out of the shark’s home. “When chickens come in my house, guess what? They get ate up.” And there you have it.

You’ll see what I mean when you read his answers to our questions here.

He gives back to our industry in a way that I’ve never seen anyone else do and he works with students by teaching, coaching, and speaking.

I’ve also noticed he doesn’t say much about his background below so I’ll toot his horn for him: He worked for many years for Fox News Channel in New York City and was integral in the launch of Fox News Radio.

So there is that.

And now I’ll let him tell you a little bit about himself on today’s Spin Sucks Inquisition.

What is the Biggest Mistake You’ve Made in Your Career?

It would probably be the jumping into the agency job I took in 2009.

I was so eager to leave my previous position that I didn’t look more carefully at what I was getting into.

I saw the chance to expand my PR knowledge, by working in an outside-the-box thinking type of environment. It wasn’t anywhere close to that. I loved two of the clients I got to work with and that got me by. But, I should have been more aware that the words by the agency were too good to be true.

What is the Best Book You’ve Read in the Past Six Months?

Aside from Spin Sucks, it would be 41: A Portrait of My Father by George W. Bush. Regardless of political affiliation, it’s a poignant read of a son’s respect and love for his father. It also has a number of great teachable moments that I’ve used in business, too.

Why Does Spin Suck?

It sucks because there are really great pros out there doing outstanding work.

Instead, we continue to be seen in ways that are nowhere close to the people I know and respect.

A very high percentage of us live by a Code of Ethics and stick to it faithfully.

I don’t want to be grouped with the liars and bad “pros.”

We need more stories of the ones that pay it forward, lead the way, and pave the path for the future of our industry.

Where You Can Find Jason Mollica

You can also check him out on the JRM blog and take a look at his services. He and his family recently moved to the DC Metro area, so he’s looking for new clients in the Maryland area. If you need media training, PR/social marketing guidance, or even crisis communication help, he’d love to chat with you.

He’s also working on his “CEO of You” series for new and seasoned professionals, which will help focus your personal brand and help you reach your potential.

Related Stories

When most people think of “spin” they think of the conventional, public relations sense where a team of account managers and executives try really, really hard to keep the general public and their perceptions on a leash.

But spin doesn’t just exist in that realm.

In fact, it’s happening at this very moment, all over the world, to any one with a business card or a name on their door.

Often, it’s unintentional.

One of the subtlest ways to keep perception on a leash?

Titles are Unintentional Spin

Titles. Names. Bylines on an email signature. Words on a resume. Positions listed on a LinkedIn profile.

You know, the very muted, quick, and almost mindless ways in which we tell people, “Hey! This is what I do! This is the kind of person I am! These are my abilities!”

You may be a smart and capable leader, but there are some things that don’t come inherently with your title.

For example, just because you’re a CEO and have the ability to head a company doesn’t mean you can deliver a keynote and effectively address your 5,000 employees.

However, what DOES come with your title is a fan base that consists of those 5,000 employees who will passively nod and say “yes, of course sir, your speech was incredible,” simply because you sign their checks.

Ultimately, there’s no one in the CEO’s corner telling him how to pick up the slack, simply because it’s assumed he doesn’t need anyone to.

In order to paint a prettier picture about names, perception, and what they really mean, let’s talk about a piece of very highly regarded culture… reality television.

American Ninja Warriors Produce…Ninjas?

American Ninja Warrior is a TV show in which athletes complete a series of insanely difficult obstacle courses for a cash prize and national recognition as the “American Ninja Warrior.” It’s an addictive show that will make you “ooh” and “ahh” at the athletic spectacle, and also feel guilty for sitting on your living room couch, drinking a beer and waiting for your pizza to arrive.

That being said, I have no issue with the nature of the show itself.

In fact, I’ve spent many nights sitting on my living room couch, completely engrossed by (and envious of) the sheer athleticism of the contestants.

Rather, my bone to pick here is with the actual title of “American Ninja Warrior,” and the subconscious messages it gives both the audience and the contestants.

Before I sound like a jerk, I’d throw in a little disclaimer: I get why American Ninja Warrior is called American Ninja Warrior.

A show which features grown men and women flexing their muscles in adult sized jungle gyms requires a flashy name for the sake of entertainment.

Most importantly, saying, “I’m the American Ninja Warrior” is a lot more exciting for the winner to say, as opposed to “I am the best at the adult-sized jungle gyms.”

But I’ve refused to simply “ooh” and “ahh” at the show’s spectacular and passively accept that it’s named after the most ferocious, well-trained and agile humans in the world—ninjas and warriors.

The engrained communicator in me, who knows no separation between the office and the living room couch, looks skeptically at a show such as American Ninja Warrior and has a crap ton of questions about it’s overzealous name and the message that it indirectly conveys to viewers and participants of the game.

Put it this way:

Hey, NINJA, would you comfortably infiltrate a covert organization that the government of feudal Japan finds threatening? Have you ever assassinated someone? What’s your opinion on espionage? Do you have metal stars strapped in a leather pouch on your back? Who trained you? Do you even know what I’m referring to, NINJA.

The competitors on this show keep being addressed as ninjas and warriors. This title makes them feel infallible and powerful, despite its inaccuracy.

Titles are Flashy, but Don’t Always Tell the Story

Much like the CEO giving a keynote, these ninja warriors don’t have anyone in their corner telling them that they’re not actually ninjas or warriors (gasp!).

This is seen over and over again. It doesn’t matter if it’s national television or the corporate world. Sometimes, titles don’t necessarily reflect who we are or what we do.

Put it this way:

Hey, chief innovation officer, do you strive to constantly inspire your staff to think outside of the box? Do you provide realistic yet innovative solutions to your company’s day-to-day problems? Are you truly the chief of all innovation?

Titles are important to establish the intricate web of bodies and positions needed in any company, and the connotations associated with them are important to distinguish power between, let’s say, an intern and account manager.

Much like American Ninja Warrior needs a flashy name, titles in the corporate world are important, too.

However it’s equally important that we continually reflect upon our titles, both internally and with our co-workers, to ensure that we can actually stand up to our titles.

Otherwise, guess what?

It’s a big fancy way of saying, you’re lying!

No matter what your title—American Ninja Warrior or chief financial officer—you should remain humble enough to seek a subjective opinion on the things that you may not be the best at.

It’s important to remain transparent and honest in your actions, and not let your fans, whether that be your 5,000 employees or the entire studio audience, make you feel so powerful and infallible, you see no room for improvement.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100109308/0/spinsucks~Unintentional-Spin-Titles-and-American-Ninja-Warrior/feed/11http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/slack-a-gorgeous-communication-tool/Slack: A Communication Tool Every Team Should Usehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100060858/0/spinsucks~Slack-A-Communication-Tool-Every-Team-Should-Use/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100060858/0/spinsucks~Slack-A-Communication-Tool-Every-Team-Should-Use/#commentsThu, 09 Jul 2015 10:58:12 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33895A fairly new tool called Slack has come onto the scene like a whirlwind and is here to stay. It will change the way you communicate and get work done

Some of you may already know about this tool—it’s a favorite of developers and start-up teams that work virtually.

And, for others, I’m about to blow your mind.

Are you ready?

There is a tool called Slack that is billed as, “a messaging app for teams. You have everything in one place, instantly searchable. And it’s free for as long as you want, with an unlimited number of people.”

It is all of that and more.

As many of you know, I run a virtual team. There are close to 30 of us spread out across North America and Europe.

All Communication in One Spot? Say it isn’t So!

Before Slack, we were using iMessaging, email, and a private Facebook group.

Slack puts everything in one spot—and it has open APIs to most of the tools we use. It’s searchable so I can think, “What did Laura need me to include in this plan from her client meeting?” and search a key word or two and voila! It’s all up on my screen.

Nothing we’ve used before now has allowed us to do that.

It also allows me, as the shallow figurehead, to track conversations among the team, gain more context in the client work they’re doing, and provide coaching and mentoring opportunities when I see them versus when my gut says there might be an opportunity.

The Handy, Dandy Slack Dashboard

I use it for Arment Dietrich, for my Spin Sucks coaching groups, for Inside PR, for my mastermind group, and for clients.

In there, you can see I have access to every FIR podcaster and we have an Inside PR channel where only Joe Thornley, Martin Waxman, and I have access.

We use it to schedule our weekly recordings, drop links for things we might discuss, and include the #IPRMustKnow articles that we discuss each week.

What’s amazing about it is, when one of goes to write the show notes, we can just go into Slack, search #IPRMustKnow, for instance, and the week’s articles pop up.

It makes it ridiculously easy to write the show notes and link to the appropriate articles.

The Features of Slack

The features of it are pretty incredible (and it’s free…did I mention that?):

Create channels. You can organize your team conversations in open channels that anyone you’ve invited in has access to. You can make a channel for a project, a topic, a team, or anything—everyone has a transparent view of all that’s going on.

Send direct messages. To reach a colleague directly, you can send them a direct message. It’s completely private and secure…and it’s only between the two of you.

Create private groups. For sensitive information, you can create private groups and invite a few team members. No one else can see or join and it’s like having direct messages for more than one person.

Drag, drop, and share files. No more sending emails with attachments (hooray!). No more sending Dropbox links that require you to download the file. You can send files, images, PDFs, documents, and spreadsheets right through Slack and share with anyone you like. AND, if you use Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box, all you have to do is paste the link in there and it gives you the file. You don’t have to download it or go search for it.

Everything in one spot. I mentioned they have an open API to hundreds of apps. If you use Asana, for instance, you don’t have to keep it open to get an alert when you have something due. It tags you right in Slack.

Searchable. This really is a huge benefit because if you’ve ever tried finding something in a text message, you know you’re doomed. This is probably in my top three loves of this tool.

Accessible anywhere. They have a mobile app that mirrors the desktop app so I can get my messages anywhere, anytime. With a team that crosses U.S. borders, I don’t have to worry about international fees if someone isn’t on iMessaging. It’s free access to everyone, all the time.

Of course, you can upgrade Slack to a paid version (and they force you to start paying after 10,000 messages), but the free version is pretty darn handy.

And don’t worry. This isn’t a change that is going to require a lot from your team. It’s pretty easy to get them on board and using it in a couple of days. It was the easiest change I’ve made for the team here…and my email inbox thanks Slack.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/100060858/0/spinsucks~Slack-A-Communication-Tool-Every-Team-Should-Use/feed/64http://spinsucks.com/communication/eighteen-tricks-for-content-marketing/Eighteen Tricks to Save Time and Money On Content Marketinghttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99937552/0/spinsucks~Eighteen-Tricks-to-Save-Time-and-Money-On-Content-Marketing/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99937552/0/spinsucks~Eighteen-Tricks-to-Save-Time-and-Money-On-Content-Marketing/#commentsWed, 08 Jul 2015 16:58:40 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33815It's not easy to produce content day-after-day, month-after-month, but Andy Preisler has 18 tricks to help you save time and money on content marketing

Related Stories

When we talk about content marketing, the conversation often moves to return-on-investment.

After all, money is money, and time is money.

If we want to talk about “saving” as it relates to content marketing, we must talk of both elements.

Wasting either of them is expensive in the long run so you never want to do that. Luckily there are some great tools and strategies that will put you in a much better “place” as you focus on engaging, unique, entertaining, and educational content marketing.

The element of using time wisely involves some very specific strategies and activities, some of which will save you time right now and others that will save you time down the road.

Here are 18 “tricks” the pros use to save time and money on content marketing.

Save Time and Money On Content Marketing

Identify your target customers, where they go online, and what type of content they need. Use free analytics tools and other easy and proven strategies so you appeal and engage.

Research your business niche all the time. Use a good tool such as Evernote to save those ideas, and copy URLs that are good future references.

Develop your own style and learn how focus on catchy titles and opening sentences as much as you do the rest of your content. Use these great tips to develop your skills continually.

Re-purpose great content. Great content marketing runs the metrics and knows which content gets the most “play.” That content can be switched out among text, infographics, videos, eBooks, and more.

Develop a business blog. Website contentmust be more than a sales pitch. An exciting blog that is well maintained and has all of the “bells and whistles” for sharing, conversations, and interactive activities will attract and keep followers.

Monitor your competition at all times. What are they talking about? What’s popular on their social media sites? Take topics of big interest and enhance them by adding a unique slant.

Read blogs, all that you can find, that relate to content marketing strategies and tips. This is free training for you and will save time down the road!

Use “lists.” Everyone loves lists and they are easy to read. (You’re reading one now!)

Use email for content marketing and interactive activities. Take a look at Starbucks “stars” email campaign as a great example. Every email asks followers to do something that spreads the brand and gives them chance to grab more stars for free drinks.

Ask your customers for videos and photos that involve them using your product. Feature your customers in your posts and on your social media sites. So easy, and almost no time involved. And just watch how much these get shared!

Use free apps to add animation. Check out ShipServ.com for a great “walk” through their online directory with Lego men.

Get a “fan club” with some type of reward for the fan who shares your content the most over a period of time—let your followers spread your brand! Above all else, you should master content marketing for your specific audience.

Use images everywhere. There are huge numbers of free, open-source images, many of which are really quite stunning, humorous, or poignant.

Use surveys and polls on social media sites. Make them engaging enough that followers will want to share. All you need is a little bit of creativity!

Engage visitors on your site or social media pages by posting activities and humor that don’t relate to your product or service. Anthropologies sells clothing, but they feature DIY drink recipes on their site and advertise each new one with a link on their Facebook page.

Get a free tool to keep yourself from distractions as you prepare your content marketing. “Stay Focused” is a Google Chrome extension that you can use for free. It blocks you from distracting sites for a period of time you determine. It’s easy-to-use, and a great time saver.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99937552/0/spinsucks~Eighteen-Tricks-to-Save-Time-and-Money-On-Content-Marketing/feed/7http://spinsucks.com/social-media/agency-leads-must-absolutely-use-twitter/Agency Leads Must Absolutely Use Twitterhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99897024/0/spinsucks~Agency-Leads-Must-Absolutely-Use-Twitter/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99897024/0/spinsucks~Agency-Leads-Must-Absolutely-Use-Twitter/#commentsWed, 08 Jul 2015 10:58:47 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33874An article in a marketing magazine in Canada quotes an agency lead saying PR pros should not use Twitter because our jobs are to do client work. Mic. Drop

Related Stories

A few years ago, I got in a major debate with some of my senior leadership team.

You see, we were growing like an out-of-control weed and, true to my nature, we had big plans to grow even faster. But we were stuck. We couldn’t grow as quickly as I wanted without doing something pretty drastic.

Our managing director suggested we start doing our own PR.

I remember the debate well. Really well, in fact. Probably because I was wrong.

She had suggested we do our own PR. I remember her saying, “Clients read PRWeek and other trade magazines. They want to work with agencies that are featured in those places.”

I pushed back and said our job wasn’t to do our own PR and I certainly didn’t want clients to think we were so busy promoting ourselves that we’d forgotten about them.

But her point was that we wouldn’t have any clients if no one knew who we were.

How Can You Know Without Trying?

Mic. Drop.

Kind of crazy to think about now, isn’t it?

I mean, would you ever recommend an organization not do PR in favor of focusing on doing the work?

Talk about a crazy, backwards way of thinking.

I clearly changed my mind and we set out to change the way we were bringing in new business—and doing our own PR was part of it.

Now our mantra is that we never suggest anything to a client we haven’t tried ourselves: Blogging, email marketing, lead generation, content creation, paid media, or social media.

We try it all first and take our learnings and apply them to that of our clients.

I agreed it’d probably be a good thing for them, but asked for a couple of months to let us try it on Spin Sucks first.

She agreed.

I mean, why wouldn’t you want your agency to test things out before spending your money? Particularly when technology changes so quickly that you have to try new things, but do so in as risk-free environment as possible.

Working with an agency that is constantly testing new tools seems like a really good idea.

Just Follow on Twitter? Say What?

This very reason—and the fact that social media has helped me grow this business in ways I never could before 2007—was why I laughed out loud when I read, “PR Agency Leads Should Only Follow On Twitter.”

(I’m not providing a link because I don’t want to give the story any SEO juice, but it’s pretty easy to find if you want to read it.)

You see the author, a lead at a very well-known firm, thinks those of us who run agencies should only follow people on Twitter—not engage, respond, or even tweet.

This is what she says:

Don’t get me wrong: I believe wholeheartedly in clients and influencers using Twitter to get the word out. But what I can’t for the life of me wrap my head around is why anyone in an agency — especially those working in PR, whose core responsibility is to help clients protect and amplify their brand voice — believes they should be out front adding their two cents proactively or using it as a publicity engine for their own means.

Agency Leads Must Absolutely Use Twitter

I can give you about 60,000 reasons anyone in an agency should be out front adding their own two cents proactively or using it as a publicity engine for their own means:

Clients won’t work with you if they don’t know who you are…and Twitter is a great way to flatten out the world and build relationships with those you’d never meet otherwise.

Agencies MUST know how the digital tools work and it’s impossible to know the nuances of each of them without using them yourself.

I, personally, am building a world-class team of people around the globe. Because we’re virtual, I have the huge opportunity to add the very best to my team without the cost of moving them to Chicago—something that is prohibitive to a small business. I wouldn’t be able to do that without Twitter or without this blog.

Twitter allows you to build lists of people who would make great partner clients. Follow them. Read what they write. Respond to their tweets. Build a virtual relationship. I promise you, you will get business from approaching it this way. You’ll also achieve other business development goals, such as adding on revenue sources like speaking and coaching and even authoring a book or two.

Yes, you can even generate word-of-mouth advertising and, I don’t care what business you’re in, every agency needs to grow. Even if you get all of your new business from word-0f-mouth, you do actually have to generate quite a bit of that.

You will learn new things. I suppose you can learn new things by following and not engaging or responding, but you’ll learn much more by having conversations and building rapport. Imagine if all you did was read and not speak to human beings. It’s a completely different life experience.

To that end, you’ll also get new ideas. The blog post I wrote yesterday about Google News Lab happened like this: I saw Google tweet their blog post. I clicked the link and saved it in my tabs to read later. Corina Manea then sent it to me and asked if I’d read it. That pushed me to pay more attention to it. She also found it on Twitter.

You will build a better brand. Thanks to Timehop, I can see what I shared on social media six years ago. It’s kind of embarrassing. I’ve learned SO MUCH in that time and become so much more sophisticated. That never would have happened if I sat on the sidelines and used Twitter passively.

Customer service gets a turbocharge because people have a new way to reach you. And it’s A LOT easier to respond to a 140 character tweet than a four paragraph email.

You can notify customers or fans quickly and easily without relying on third-parties to help you tell your story. Case-in-point, when Taylor Swift took Apple to task, she didn’t call The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal to tell her story. She wrote a blog post on Tumblr and she tweeted it. And THEN the whole world picked it up.

Yes, we must still pay attention to the traditional tactics, but the world is changing and expecting that you don’t have to participate to stay in business is really short-sighted.

Our job is to understand, intimately, how the tools work so we can do the very best job for our clients.

If you don’t use them, you may understand them at a very high level, but you will never understand them well enough to react quickly to a negative situation, to use them to grow a business, or to show a real return-on-investment.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99897024/0/spinsucks~Agency-Leads-Must-Absolutely-Use-Twitter/feed/46http://spinsucks.com/communication/communicators-help-favorite-charities/How Communicators Can Help Their Favorite Charitieshttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99788518/0/spinsucks~How-Communicators-Can-Help-Their-Favorite-Charities/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99788518/0/spinsucks~How-Communicators-Can-Help-Their-Favorite-Charities/#commentsTue, 07 Jul 2015 16:58:53 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33746As a communicator, you may think you have nothing to offer charities, particularly in a crisis situation. Robby Brumberg dispels that myth with a few ideas

While I’ll always be a bit envious of the world’s brave “first responders,” and those who are able to do and produce tangible things that directly save or improve lives, I do know storytellers can also do a world of good.

If crafting compelling content is your gift, if you are a whiz with words, pictures, or video, you can help your favorite charities in profound, meaningful ways.

You have the ability to pierce hearts, motivate action, inspire change and ‘change the world,’ as they say.

That’s a big deal!

Help Charities with Your Skill Set

Here are a few ways you can be a tremendous help to your favorite charities by donating your talents.

Contribute a blog post. Does your charity have a blog? If so, chances are it could use some fresh, engaging content provided by a highly-skilled pro like you.

Contribute a story. Spend a day on the job with your charity, visit with program beneficiaries, or use your ace reporting skills to collaborate and create a unique story angle that conveys how essential your charity’s work is. Perhaps you could write something for their magazine/newsletter, or maybe even write a story for a relevant external publication. If your charity has work overseas, talk with them to see about setting up a visit to a project for some ‘in the field’ reporting. For larger charities, overseas communications staff budgets are often slim or non-existent. Many rely on freelancers to gather stories, or on in-country staff whose full-time jobs have nothing to do with interviewing or taking photos. Why not weave some charity into your next vacation?

Wield your social clout.People like to give. People want to give. It feels good, and it’s good for us! But many folks don’t know where to start or who to trust. That’s where you come in, esteemed and respected communicator. If there’s a project you’re passionate about, let people know about it. Try to rally some team-like camaraderie and perhaps a bit of friendly competition. Be specific in what you’re asking people to do and what you hope to achieve, and emphasize how their work will affect the organization. Work with your nonprofit to report on results of your giving campaign.

Offer your services. What’s your specialty? Proofreading? Web content? Email marketing? SEO? Video editing? Writing scintillating, critically-acclaimed haiku? Why not send an email to info@___.org to start a dialogue to see where you might be able to help? You probably have more to offer than you might imagine.

Donating dollars to a worthy cause is always a wonderful thing. But don’t underestimate how important your donated talents are as well.

Giving—whether of our time, resources or talents—is good for us, and never in vain.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99788518/0/spinsucks~How-Communicators-Can-Help-Their-Favorite-Charities/feed/2http://spinsucks.com/communication/google-news-lab-algorithms-and-content-creation/Google News Lab, Algorithms, and Content Creationhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99738660/0/spinsucks~Google-News-Lab-Algorithms-and-Content-Creation/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99738660/0/spinsucks~Google-News-Lab-Algorithms-and-Content-Creation/#commentsTue, 07 Jul 2015 10:58:12 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33865In a world of computer-generated news stories, our content creation may be affected by robots. With the launch of Google News Lab, it may be here very soon

Had Narrative Science created this piece, it probably would not mention that the company’s Chicago headquarters lie only a long baseball toss from the Tribune newspaper building. Nor would it dwell on the fact that this potentially job-killing technology was incubated in part at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications. Those ironies are obvious to a human. But not to a computer.

But, as it turns out, some niche publications, including Forbes and other media powerhouses (who remain private), have hired Narrative Science to write stories and create content.

Three years ago, it was limited to Little League game results, where the stories are “written” from data entered by parents into a game scoring app called GameChanger. But the founder, fellow Utahan and Chicagoan Kristian Hammond, says in the next 15 years, 90 percent of all news stories will be written by computers.

Algorithms Write Stories

What’s interesting about this process is all of these pieces have to be there in order for the computer to write stories about Little League games or earnings reports or real estate in smaller markets that don’t typically get attention.

For instance, Forbes will do earnings reports for the Fortune 50 every quarter, but every other public company gets ignored because they don’t have the time, the human resources, or the budget to focus on everyone else.

An algorithm can take the data, the facts, the stats, and the angles and create a structure around earnings reports for the other 450 Fortune 5oo companies. And it can do it in seconds.

It won’t, however, provide context, irony, opinion, sarcasm, or humor into the story. Which, in the case of earnings reports, is fine because they are strictly data-driven stories anyway.

The algorithms write stories humans either don’t want to write or don’t have the time to write…and they’re doing it in four seconds instead of 40 minutes.

Introducing Google News Lab

Stu said:

We think if a story can be generated by data, it will be. We’re not shorting humans. We can generate parts of a story from the data that a computer is better at pulling, and a human can add the color or interviews conducted to broaden the appeal.

And now Google News Lab has launched, which is billed as, “a new effort at Google to empower innovation at the intersection of technology and media.”

But how, exactly, are they empowering that innovation? They’re not shorting humans. They’re helped journalists, bloggers, and citizen journalists pull data for part of the story while the humans add the color.

They are providing a new tool for telling data-driven stories and they are:

ensuring the Google tools are made available to journalists around the world (and that newsrooms know how to use them); getting helpful Google data sets in the hands of journalists everywhere; and creating programs designed to build on some of the biggest opportunities that exist in the media industry today.

It’s a new world where algorithms and humans are working hand-in-hand to produce some of the world’s best content.

What Does This Mean to You?

So what does this mean to a communicator?

I’d like to say we can all go about our lives as if nothing has happened, but that just isn’t the case.

It’s been three years since Narrative Science launched and now Google is getting into the space. While computers won’t replace us, they certainly are going to make us even more efficient and we must keep up.

Here is what you can do right this very second:

Check out the newly launched Google Trends. If I were to write a blog post about something happening in the news, I would go here and quickly scroll through to see hundreds of trending stories–everything from the gigantic crash at the Tour yesterday to the news that Kourtney Kardashian (finally) kicked her baby daddy to the curb. I can also see the women’s world cup and Shark Week are among the most popular topics right now. Easily there are four pieces of content from that five second search.

Go play in the Google News Lab tutorials. It’s broken into four sections: Research, report, distribute, and optimize. While this is created for a news journalist and investigative reporter, a communicator most certainly can use it for company news, brand stories, and content development.

Play with the tools inside Research. You’ll find advanced search, reverse image search, public data explorer, consumer surveys, alerts, news archives, the translate tool, and Google scholar. All of your favorite tools are now in one spot…and they come with tutorials on how to use them in your storytelling.

Add visuals to your stories. You can add maps, a video, Google Earth, media tools alerts, or Google data to any piece of content to add more depth and more engagement.

Gain more readers or viewers for your content. Distribution is always the hardest part of content creation. Now you have access to the Google Play Newsstand to publish and monetize your work, Google, YouTube, and Google+. But, even though you likely already use those tools, there are tutorials for digging even deeper for distribution.

Optimize your efforts. Of course, you can’t do any of this without Google Analytics, which has its own tutorial in here, and it has how to attract loyal viewers on YouTube and how to keep your accounts secure.

But that’s not all! If you check all of this out right now, you’ll also find three projects Google has launched along with the news lab.

Check out:

First Draft Coalition. You know how you see a story and then you wait for “real” news outlets to verify it? Or you go to Snopes to see if it’s been discredited? Well, imagine you are the “real” news outlet. How do you verify a citizen’s account of what’s happening? First Draft Coalition has set out to be the place journalists check before writing a story.

Witness Media Lab. This allows citizens around the globe to provide eyewitness accounts on things that level the playing field for human rights. While it’s not an issue in the United States because we have free speech and the First Amendment, it’s not the case in many countries. Witness Media Lab is setting out to provide people a safe place to report on what’s happening in parts of the country that are not democratized.

YouTube Newswire. The YouTube Newswire is the hub for eyewitness videos from emerging news events around the world. The YouTube Newswire is curated by journalists at Storyful who discover and verify the best news, weather, and politics.

How Content Creation Will Change

So now the science behind Narrative Science that is available only to large media outlets is coming to us, though I’d venture to guess it’s still not quite as sophisticated because we humans still have to do the work.

But Google has made it as easy as possible for you to view the trends, pull the data, and distribute and optimize your content, once you’ve done the work only a human can do.

Now it’s your turn to go into the world and become a better content creator and storyteller using the technology you have at your fingertips.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99738660/0/spinsucks~Google-News-Lab-Algorithms-and-Content-Creation/feed/32http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/lost-passion-for-freelancing/Have You Lost Your Passion for Freelancing?http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99582762/0/spinsucks~Have-You-Lost-Your-Passion-for-Freelancing/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99582762/0/spinsucks~Have-You-Lost-Your-Passion-for-Freelancing/#commentsMon, 06 Jul 2015 16:58:43 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33740Freelancing isn't an easy gig. Sure you control your own destiny and they sky is the limit when it comes to making money, but it's hard to stay motivated

The Freelancing Passion is Gone

Yada yada yada.

We all know the fairytale.

But the reality tends to be different.

In practice, when you’re freelancing, it’s pretty common to take hardly take any time off. Freelancers have dozens of bosses instead of one. And they often feel like they have no control over what they do or how much they make, whatsoever.

This doesn’t paint the best of pictures.

In fact, if you’re not careful, your career can be shorter than that of a child movie star (while also being less profitable).

I’ve been there.

I dealt with the dark side of freelancing at least a couple of times. Overall, the feeling of losing your passion for something is nothing nice, and especially when that something has a direct connection to your ability to put food on the table.

There are many early signs of freelancing burnout, and also list the methods to fight it and get back on track.

You’re Running for President of Procrastinationland

Oh did I. In early 2014, I should have changed my Twitter bio to, “Vote Karol K 2014 for Procrastionationland” or something.

And procrastination is a funny thing when you look at it. It’s simply the practice of tricking yourself into thinking that you’re doing important work right now when in practice, you’re just rebuilding the tag structure of your email inbox.

See what I did there? “Rebuilding the tag structure of your email inbox” does sound kind of like work. And that’s the whole trick that procrastination plays on us.

Procrastination is actually a great indicator that you’re losing your passion for something. It’s the discreet moment when you decide to do something else, instead of the thing that you actually should do, and you’re justifying it by convincing yourself that this new thing is equally as important.

And it gets absurd.

For some reason, procrastination isn’t that easy to notice when you’re at work, but it virtually doesn’t occur at all when taking care of non-work related things.

For example, have you ever procrastinated eating a pizza by making sure that your plate was at the perfect distance from your elbow?

Beating procrastination can be easier or harder depending on how deeply consumed you are by it. But in general, try going through this two-step process:

Recognize if you’re procrastinating. Whenever you suspect you might be procrastinating right now, ask yourself these questions: “Can I charge my client for what I’m doing now?” If not, follow up with, “Can this lead to charging my client?” If that’s a no again, you’re procrastinating.

Snap out of it. This can be done by looking at the list of tasks that you need to do as part of the client project, and taking care of the smallest task first—the no-stress task. This will get you in the right mindset and help you get started.

You Haven’t Raised Your Rates in a Year

I dare you to go back to your “my rates” Excel or Google spreadsheet (if you have one) and check the last modification date.

Listen up, I can’t emphasize this enough:

To be satisfied with your work, you need to be increasing your rates constantly.

And I do mean constantly.

Here’s why: The number one downside of freelancing is that you’re exchanging your time for money. And you do have a limited amount of time.

Therefore, to constantly be able to make more money, you either have to be: a) raising your rates, or b) working ungodly hours.

You choose your path.

I do have a simple yet extreme solution/fix for you though.

Raise your rates for every new client.

But only a little. Even raising your rates by $1 an hour will still give you a noticeable annual growth.

You Don’t Even Know How Much You Make

This is probably a way bigger problem than not raising your rates.

Some freelancers don’t know how much they actually make every month.

The reason is that many projects tend to span across a number of weeks, which makes it difficult to calculate how much money you’re making in a regular 30-day period.

What I’m getting at is that it’s very easy to start losing your passion if you haven’t seen a transfer in four weeks, even despite the fact that you’ve landed a big five-figure gig. It’s only once you fire up Excel and put those numbers next to one another that you can have a glance at your actual monthly earnings.

Do this regularly.

Sometimes all you need to boost your confidence is to see that things are actually going forward and that you’re able to improve your bottom line step-by-step each month.

You Have Difficulties Meeting Deadlines

Deadlines are fine as a concept. But only as long as you are able to meet them consistently.

Over time, and especially if you suspect you might be losing passion for your work, deadlines become significantly more difficult to keep up with.

It starts innocently. One day you think, “I don’t feel like working on this right now. There’s still time. I can start tomorrow.”

Then you do it again. And again. And you get into the habit of beginning your work later than you used to, giving yourself less time to complete your projects.

Before you know it, this builds up and makes your work more stressful entirely.

Well, the best scenario is to just come back to proper planning and introduce better work discipline. But if you’re after a quicker fix, then just set your deadlines further into the future than the scope of the project would suggest.

This will give you a buffer to take care of your previous projects and give the new ones some room to breathe.

After you’ve put out those fires, you can go back to better long-term planning and discipline.

You Fail to Build Systems

Systems may seem counterintuitive to freelancing, but are perhaps the secret weapon.

To some extent, a freelancer’s work is repetitive, or at least some aspects of it.

I mean, yes, you do have to approach every client individually in order to provide them with a tailor-made solution that’s simply going to work for them. But things such as planning, proposing a deal, wireframing, invoicing, brand management, and so on, can be systematized.

The way I see it, a system is a sequence of steps that gets you from start to a given result.

You might ask, “Why is not working on systems an indication that I’m losing my passion?”

Essentially, the main reason for building systems is to make our (professional) lives easier and our work more effective…to make it better.

Just to give you an example, if you’re passionate about bodybuilding, you will do whatever you can to make your body look better. You will find ways to exercise more effectively. You will find ways to improve your diet. You will systematize, to the extent possible.

Therefore, if you’re not doing that, maybe you’re just not passionate enough.

Okay, so how to get back on track here.

I’d say help yourself to the things that other people have already put out there. Use that as a stepping-stone to building your own systems.

For example, if you’re having trouble communicating with clients or pitching your services to them, learn from the guys over at Bidsketch.

By-the-way, setting vacation time aside, it’s also important to take frequent breaks throughout your workday. For example, people who take 17-minute breaks every 52 minutes of work have been proven to be the most productive.

Your Turn

We’ve covered six signs that you’re losing your passion for freelancing, but there’s surely a lot more things out there just lurking to kill your morale and stop you from enjoying what—as mentioned before—is otherwise an awesome career.

What do you think? Have you ever faced any of the problems mentioned on this list? What else would you add?

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99582762/0/spinsucks~Have-You-Lost-Your-Passion-for-Freelancing/feed/12http://spinsucks.com/communication/minimalist-approach-brand-storytelling/The Minimalist Approach to Brand Storytellinghttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99533244/0/spinsucks~The-Minimalist-Approach-to-Brand-Storytelling/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99533244/0/spinsucks~The-Minimalist-Approach-to-Brand-Storytelling/#commentsMon, 06 Jul 2015 10:58:58 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33819Brand storytelling is about telling a story that resonates with your consumer. Laura Petrolino explains how to use a minimalist approach to allow them to be part of your story.

Related Stories

While it continues to be a hot marketing buzzword of the moment, when we look around at examples we find only a select group of brands really do it effectively.

Don’t get me wrong, a ton of brands tell fantastic stories about themselves. Stories that may or may not matter to their consumer. But it is a much more elite group who include the five-parts of brand storytelling and tell stories which allow their consumers to be narrators, directors, or even characters.

So the ultimate question then becomes: Is your brand story inclusive or exclusive to your consumer?

Great Stories are Inclusive

What makes a really amazing book?

For me it’s one that sweeps me away. That involves me in the story so completely I forget it’s an actual story.

Stephen King is a master of this. I have to take breaks from reading King because I become so emotionally involved in the story and with the characters it can be exhausting.

I dream about the characters. I worry about them. I build relationships with them. That’s how vivid them are.

Some authors involve you in different ways. Certain books just make me feel so deeply I can’t step away, while others tell stories that resonate with something personal going on in my own life.

There are many ways to involve your audience, the trick is finding the best one for you and your consumer.

Brand Storytelling Requires Freedom

One mistake brands frequently make when they attempt effective brand storytelling is they tell too much of the story.

No one likes an over-sharer, and for brands there is a fine line between brand storytelling detailed enough to define the brand and it’s personality, but not so limiting it alienates or excludes consumers from the story (and likewise, the brand) itself.

You want to provide enough freedom in your brand storytelling to allow the consumer to make the story their own, but enough substance and direction to do so within the framework you’ve created.

I like to use park benches as an example.

What Park Benches Can Teach You About Brand Storytelling

The large city park at the bottom of my street is lined with dedicated park benches. These benches line the sidewalk overlooking the water, each one with a small plaque of dedication to a friend or loved one.

View from park benches. Yep, be jealous, this is my backyard.

I often will go on my “tour de bench.”

During “the tour,” I go from bench-to-bench and set a timer for five minutes. During those five minutes I make up a story in my head about the person or family based on the engraved bench dedication. Then I move to the next bench at the end of the time and make up a new story.

Some of these stories weave together, like a soap opera. Others are separate.

Each time I do my tour I add a new chapter to the bench’s (and dedication’s) story.

It’s a fun little game and for some reason is really calming to me. It helps me feel connected (and after all, brand storytelling is about connection) in some odd way and I feel if I was ever a name on one of these benches it would make me very happy to know people where enjoying my dedication in this way.

A bench dedication gives enough to start a story, it gives a basic framework to work in, but at the same time allows freedom to adapt a story that matters to me.

Some examples:

Be Your Own Park Bench

Each of these benches provides context and then lets me take it from there. It’s a choose your own adventure which let’s me be a director. By doing so I become emotionally connected and more involved.

As a brand you have different goals then a mere park bench, but you can use this concept in your own brand storytelling efforts.

Let people tell their stories: Microsoft does a great job of letting people tell their own stories as they relate to the brand. Stories come from both employees and customers and are presented in a newsroom specifically focused on those stories.

Tell a visual story: Sixty-five percent of people are visual learners. By telling a story which triggers the visual first you not only have a better chance of engaging your customer with you brand storytelling, but you also motivate them to fill in the commentary on their own. It’s the perfect park bench scenario.

Make an unexpected connection: Even the most boring brands have stories that don’t fit the norm. When you tell a story that showcases your brand in a different light, it challenges the box where a consumer might have already classified your brand. You open their mind to new possibilities and those often include how it might be a part of their own lives. Unexpected brand storytelling helps engage consumer creativity and the ability to see opportunities they might have ignored before. It gives your customer permission to make your brand story their own.

Brand storytelling isn’t about telling people what you do. It’s about showing them enough to allow them to fill in the rest. And do so in a way that best resonates in their own lives.

Photo credits: The mad iPhone skillz of Laura Petrolino and the gorgeous scenery of Munjoy Hill in Portland, Maine.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/99533244/0/spinsucks~The-Minimalist-Approach-to-Brand-Storytelling/feed/23http://spinsucks.com/marketing/do-before-you-build-new-website/Six Things to Do Before You Build Your New Websitehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98758822/0/spinsucks~Six-Things-to-Do-Before-You-Build-Your-New-Website/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98758822/0/spinsucks~Six-Things-to-Do-Before-You-Build-Your-New-Website/#commentsWed, 01 Jul 2015 16:58:50 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33717A website can be a big project—one that takes much longer than expected. Here are six things you can do that will make the process go much more smoothly

Plan For Your Website Launch

Whether this is your first project or you’re a seasoned veteran, you’ll need to begin by building a solid team and setting expectations.

It’s important to set goals, milestones, and responsibilities for each team member early on, so you are well prepared for any unexpected, yet inevitable, surprises.

Before you begin any development work, complete these six steps.

Build a Solid Team

Who is going to stand by your side during this big project?

Before you begin, you’ll need to decide who will be on your team, and get them pumped up for the work ahead. If you need extra resources, now is the time to find them.

If you’re an agency, decide who on your team will be involved with the account.

If you’re a website owner, decide what will be done in-house and what you’ll seek help for externally.

Remember to be realistic in terms of budget and time—if you can’t do it well and efficiently, hire someone.

Determine the Project Roadmap

Now that your team is set and ready to go, schedule a kickoff meeting as soon as possible.

Use this meeting to determine the project roadmap—establish everyone’s roles, project milestones, goals, and an approval process.

Everyone should be on the same page after this meeting.

Set goals that let everyone win

Different team members and stakeholders will have different goals—some care more about aesthetic and usability, others revenue, and others performance.

Make sure each area of importance has set goals that everyone agrees on. Gather existing analytics numbers to create benchmarks for the new site.

Useful data to track can include:

Website traffic

Conversion rates

Search engine rankings

Form submissions and leads generated

Sales generated from site activity

Engagement—time on site and bounce rates

User journey—the path taken through the site

On-page click analytics

Finalize Messaging

Reach consensus on core messaging and style among every stakeholder before creating any site content.

Identify buyer personas—profiles of each user type, what problems they might have, what they care about, and how you can relate to them.

To go more in-depth, add buying stages to any persona that’s also a potential customer.

Get everyone to agree on core messaging for each persona.

You’ll use this throughout the rest of the project as you make decisions on copy.

Content Audit—Do it!

Unless you’re building a brand new site for a new company or organization, there will likely be plenty of old content to transfer to the new site.

A content audit ensures that nothing valuable falls through the cracks, and nothing of poor quality makes it to the new site.

The audit will take time and patience, but is well worth it.

Use this inventory to brainstorm, repurpose, and create high-quality content for the new site.

A few tips on making the audit a success:

Start with what’s live on the old site—inventory links to each asset as well as corresponding landing pages or confirmation pages to reference when building the new site.

Tag and organize everything. Taxonomies in CMSs such as Drupal and WordPress are incredibly useful, especially in the backend when developers need to surface categorized content.

Marketers can find assets hiding in their marketing automation software. Content used for past campaigns should be included in the audit—sometimes these can serve as low-hanging fruit for quick repurposing.

Track down sales content too. Datasheets, presentations, and collateral used throughout the sales cycle can often fall through the cracks and are important for maintaining cohesive messaging.

Website owners can sync with their support teams. Documents used for customer service often have more straightforward messaging and can provide clarity around what customers are really interested in

Map Information Architecture

Now that you’re ready to get started on the actual site, you’ll need decide on the correct information architecture (IA).

Once the IA is determined, the new sitemap can be used as a reference point throughout the project.

This step is incredibly important because the placement of navigation items and structure of pages illustrates both the importance of content and the expected user behavior on the site.

Have a strong argument for why the site is organized the way it is, or risk revisiting the fundamentals multiple times throughout the project.

Choose the Right Technology

Don’t stick with a specific technology just because you’ve used it before—the “but we’ve always done it this way” excuse won’t do you any favors down the road.

Research different CMSs, hosting and management providers, etc. and do your due diligence researching the different options before making any decisions.

Find the right CMS

Set your marketing team up for success by choosing the right CMS—they need to be able to quickly publish and make updates to the live site.

Research open source solutions such as WordPress and Drupal to see what will work best for your whole team.

Make workflow and hosting a priority

Ask your developers what they need to be successful—and deliver.

Your devs will thank you for investing in tools that keep them from spending a majority of their time configuring servers.

Encourage best practices that help them code and test, and it will save you time and money in the long run.

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98758822/0/spinsucks~Six-Things-to-Do-Before-You-Build-Your-New-Website/feed/13http://spinsucks.com/communication/produce-promote-and-host-a-webinar-to-generate-qualified-leads/Produce, Promote, and Host a Webinar to Generate Qualified Leadshttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98711134/0/spinsucks~Produce-Promote-and-Host-a-Webinar-to-Generate-Qualified-Leads/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98711134/0/spinsucks~Produce-Promote-and-Host-a-Webinar-to-Generate-Qualified-Leads/#commentsWed, 01 Jul 2015 10:58:04 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33799Gini Dietrich recently hosted a webinar for ON24 that generated a ton of questions. So many, they couldn't get to them all in the Q&A. Here are the answers

It was fast-paced and fun and we had a ton of questions. I mean, a ton.

So many that we couldn’t get to them all in the 15 minutes we had for Q&A.

CMI gracefully agreed to send me the questions so I could find a way to answer them.

Because it’s Canada Day today and Independence Day on Friday and not many people are working, I thought I’d answer all of those questions now to make it an easy piece to reference when you’re back at work next week (assuming you’re back at work next week!).

Host a Webinar that Generates Qualified Leads

What about B2C? It’s true. Most of my experience, particularly when it comes to lead generation and using webinars to do that, is for business-to-business organizations. But what works for B2B always works for business-to-consumer. It doesn’t always work the other way around, but in this case, it doesn’t matter the organization. The steps work for all.

What targeting a global audience, do you do two live events to cover Asia and EU/LATAM/US separately? I hate to admit we don’t do this. It’s a large undertaking to do a webinar (it’s easily 15 hours every month) so the idea of adding one more live event to what we already do is a bit overwhelming. BUT we do record the webinars so anyone can have access to it, on-demand, whenever they like.

My company is located in the central time zone and our audience is all over the country. Should we generally market webinars using eastern time? We’re in central and we always market using eastern time. I don’t necessarily know that that’s a hard and fast rule. We do it because most people tend to know how eastern time affects them. Central and mountain time zones are lost on many.

I heard you mention to add a URL on print mailer. Do you agree with Scott Stratten that QR codes kill kittens? Ha! I don’t. (Sorry, Scott!) Here’s why: Every time I travel outside of the country, I see QR codes everywhere. They’re used extremely efficiently to get lots of information to the masses. Heck, in Ctl Alt Delete, Mitch Joel tells a story of a North Korean grocery store chain that uses QR codes in the subway to deliver groceries to you (super innovative). North America is way behind, in this regard.

What is your recommended timing for direct mail? This is regards to sending a postcard to your mailing list about your upcoming webinar. I’d do it a month in advance. And make sure you have a unique—and shortened—URL on there so you can track its effectiveness.

Do you have any statistics on how many folks are watching your webinar replay? Yes! It’s about 60 percent of those who register. And some people (between 15 and 20 percent) watch them multiple times. We put our webinars on YouTube, behind a private link, so we get all of that kind of data.

We started webinars this year. My boss isn’t seeing immediate ROI and may scrap the project after this year. How do I convince him that these things take time and momentum? This is so hard because so many executives want immediate results. They’re looking for overnight success and believe some of these marketing tactics will get them there. It’s getting worse with the fast-paced change of technology. But, there is no such thing as overnight success. This stuff takes time. You have to condition your audience to something like this that’s new. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. It could take a year to see significant results, which is an eternity for an executive to wait to see results.

Do incentives, like tweeting with a hashtag for the chance to win a gift card or book, etc, help make a webinar more successful? Heck, yes! People love free stuff so give it to them!

I am about to do my first webinar so these tips have been really insightful, thank you. What would your advice be for preparing for your first webinar? Be patient! There are a thousand things that can—and will—go wrong. Your technology may screw up. Your host may get sick. No one may show up. It’s OK. These things happen. So be patient and be ready for anything to go wrong.

How do you promote the recorded webinar? We only send it once via email to those who registered. We also keep it archived on the Spin Sucks Pro home page, in the downloads section, and it’s on the sidebar of Spin Sucks for a couple of weeks post-event.

Is there a way to do the same thing with Hubspot? You can pretty much own the world with Hubspot…or any other marketing automation software, for that matter. So yes. If you use Hubspot, you can do all of this in there. And then some.

Do you keep your recordings live in perpetuity? We do! They’re on-demand forever and ever.

We work with hotels and hoteliers, we are great at generating content and have a fantastic online magazine, generating a global reach. We are looking to use webinars to remain at the forefront. Is it cost-effective, long-term? Yes. One of the most cost-effective tools you can use. Look at how many companies use webinars as a marketing and lead generation tool. It’s a big time and resource investment so if they didn’t work, no one would continue doing them.

Is it better to take questions throughout the webinar to engage conversation from your viewers or save all questions until the end with a moderator? I waffle on this. The webinar software we use has a live chat function, which some people love and others despise. If I had to choose, I’d wait until the end so you don’t interrupt the flow of the webinar and so the host can get through all of his or her content.

You said social media is not strong for generating registrations, is this typical or just representative of your company? It’s the case for every webinar we’ve ever done—for us and for our clients. It’s great for awareness building, but email marketing is, by far, the most effective. The blog post we write about the webinar here is second most effective.

Do you find that Facebook advertising is effective even for your B2B clients? My company got rid of its Facebook page several years ago because it wasn’t effective. LinkedIn has been great for us, but we have not explored the possibility of Facebook ads. Yes! It works incredibly well. It works so well, it seems like you should promote more than just your webinars on your page. We’re averaging just less than $3 per registration right now, but it’s down from $7 at the beginning of the year. Our goal is less than $1 by year’s end. You get better at targeting and writing the content.

What webinar software do you recommend? We use ClickWebinar, which is cost-effective for us. I also love Adobe Connect and ON24. I hate GoToWebinar. That’s what we used to use and it was expensive, didn’t allow us to play video, didn’t accept Keynote, and you couldn’t show someone’s screen and then switch to video. That may have all changed (we left them two years ago), but that’s why we left.

How do you coach sales people to follow up with webinar attendees that look like qualified leads? This so hard! Most sales people are incentivized to bring in the whales and they don’t typically like to follow-up with people who aren’t their own connections. We have a client who, last year, we convinced to change the structure of the incentive program to include following up on the leads generated from inbound marketing. It took a little while, but it’s starting to work now. That’s the only way we’ve found it works: It has to come from the top of the organization and it has to include incentives.

Now it’s your turn. What questions do you have about producing, promoting, and hosting a successful webinar that generates qualified leads?

P.S. There will be no blog posts on Friday. I’m sorry you’ll miss Gin and Topics. I’ll miss putting it together for you. But we’ll be back next week!

Related Stories

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98711134/0/spinsucks~Produce-Promote-and-Host-a-Webinar-to-Generate-Qualified-Leads/feed/16http://spinsucks.com/social-media/fear-of-feedback-needs-a-new-perspective/Fear of Feedback Needs a New Perspectivehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98583150/0/spinsucks~Fear-of-Feedback-Needs-a-New-Perspective/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98583150/0/spinsucks~Fear-of-Feedback-Needs-a-New-Perspective/#commentsTue, 30 Jun 2015 16:58:26 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33742It's a common reason many small business owners don't participate in social media: The fear of feedback. More, the fear of the negative comment.

Every day when I go online, I meet a virtual smorgasbord of opinions, perspectives, and topics.

It’s a feast for my brain and it’s one of the best parts of being online—I love being a part of respectful, intelligent dialogue.

Because I’ve worked mostly with small businesses that often have little to no experience using online tools, it’s pretty clear the fear of feedback is very, very common.

It’s a valid fear, though it’s based on extreme—and rare—nightmare stories about troll outbreaks.

It takes time and commitment to exploring the Internet to see that there are degrees of troll behavior, and that the worst are the exception to the rule.

The fear of feedback from people online is usually accompanied by fears around how to respond when you get negative feedback.

It doesn’t matter the size of the organization, responding to negative feedback online is best handled by someone with experience, tact, a thorough understanding of the brand—and hopefully a vested interest in doing the right thing when conversing in the public eye.

Fear of Feedback Can Lead to Conversation

Try to imagine for a moment what it would be like to have an Internet with no way to share feedback or converse…and your fear of feedback could be completely unwarranted.

(So hard! Let’s just pretend, though.)

You can publish a blog post and breathe easy, safe in the knowledge that you won’t have to ever see a negative opinion about it.

For those of us with fear of feedback, confrontation, or controversy (yep, that group includes me), it seems like a dream come true. It’s the perfect solution to eliminate the heart palpitations that come with anxiety every time you get a notification of a new comment, right?

That’s certainly one way to look at it, but there’s more to be lost than just the negative: You lose the positive interactions as well.

From people who agree with your views and appreciate them, to people who respectfully disagree and offer an alternative perspective that adds value to the conversation.

You would lose constructive feedback and suggestions that could enhance your offerings. Your audience would lose the opportunity to contribute valuable insights based on their unique experiences.

Perspective is a Beautiful Thing

You can look at a story or topic from one angle and it seems straightforward, black and white. Move side-to-side or up and down and suddenly the picture has a different light shed on it.

Details come into focus that weren’t there before. Colors start to show. Grey areas and shadows appear and grow. Viewing a topic from a different perspective creates more depth.

Feedback helps facilitate the exploration of the depths and complexities that exist even in topics that seem to be simple.

Constructive Conversation and Contribution

Cultivating a community that engages with respect in discussions should be a top priority for any organization using social media.

(Unless they’re establishing a controversial brand for themselves.)

Community guidelines are a great way to communicate expectations for interactions, but leading by example is even more important:

Be confident in your views. Feedback is hardest to take when we aren’t entirely comfortable with our beliefs. Before you post, can you say you stand 100 percent behind your words if someone disagrees? Are you open to other opinions? Will you be defensive or responsive? Sometimes exploring other perspectives within your post or through research can help you prepare for the comments.

Ask thoughtful questions. We marketers always say to end every post with a call-to-action and the easiest way to do this is to ask a question. Think about the path you’ve just walked through the post and what the next logical destination is for your audience. Ask a question that leads them in that direction. Avoid overly complex questions, but ask something that is open-ended to spur conversation.

Respond to comments. Commenting on a post with a thoughtful comment feels pointless if you know there won’t be any response. Big names in an industry may not have to cultivate that community on their blogs, but those of us who aren’t as well known will be better off putting in the effort. It’s worth it for the relationships that will be built.

Be a good commenter elsewhere. Part of setting an example of the type of community you want to cultivate is to emulate it when you go to other blogs. Give thoughtful, respectful responses and contribute constructively to the dialogue they’ve started. Your community probably follows some of the same blogs you do, and they’ll see how your interactions go with others. It’s a small world, after all.

Take the high road when others go low. Sometimes commenters have a bad day. Sometimes a topic hits them in a vulnerable place. No one is perfect, but a negative comment doesn’t automatically equate to trolling. We’re human and our emotions get the better of us on occasion. That’s another great advantage of the Internet. We can walk away from a conversation, calm down, and come back ready to engage again with empathy and respect.

How have you benefited from putting your fear of feedback aside and learning from online conversations?

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98583150/0/spinsucks~Fear-of-Feedback-Needs-a-New-Perspective/feed/21http://spinsucks.com/social-media/e-l-james-twitter-chat-horribly-wrong/Why the E. L. James Twitter Chat Went Horribly Wronghttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98529552/0/spinsucks~Why-the-E-L-James-Twitter-Chat-Went-Horribly-Wrong/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98529552/0/spinsucks~Why-the-E-L-James-Twitter-Chat-Went-Horribly-Wrong/#commentsTue, 30 Jun 2015 10:58:16 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33773E. L. James, the author of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, recently held a Twitter chat and it went horribly wrong. This is the fault of the publicist. Here's why

Governor Jindal (this is all kinds of awesome; I highly recommend you click on it!)

In fact, Google “Twitter chat gone wrong” and you can find lots of examples of what you can expect if you don’t plan your Twitter chat.

It’s our job to stop, think, and plan. Every time.

Before Every Twitter Chat

If your boss, client, executive, or colleague wants to do a Twitter chat, always think, “STP.”

(I totally just came up with that, but it works! STP could also mean “stop,” which reminds you to stop, think, and plan.)

Here is the very least that you should do for every Twitter chat…and it won’t take you very long, but it will save you a lot of pain in the end.

Go to The Google and try every variation of what people think about the company, brand, or executives. Try, “I hate company,” “I hate brand,” “I hate person.”

Create a list of every possible negative outcome, like I did above in the E. L. James example. Think through everything. Ask your friends, who are not in the business what they think. Review market research or any surveys you’ve done.

Go through every negative outcome and provide a numerical assessment: 3 for it could be really bad, 2 for it could be moderately bad, and 1 for it probably won’t be a blip.

Add up the numbers and divide by the number of outcomes you have listed. For instance, I would put 3s on the first four of the list above and 2 on the last one. So the total is 14. I divide that by 5 and get 2.8. Which is close enough to 3 (it could be really bad) that I would recommend against doing the chat. (It is math, but it’s simple addition and division. You can do it!)

If you make the recommendation and the Twitter chat still goes forward, you did your job and can’t be blamed (plus you’ll have the added benefit of being able to say, “I told you so,” which is sometimes just as rewarding).

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98529552/0/spinsucks~Why-the-E-L-James-Twitter-Chat-Went-Horribly-Wrong/feed/94http://spinsucks.com/social-media/twitter-company-chaos/Twists, Turns, and Tweets Amidst Twitter Company Chaoshttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98381436/0/spinsucks~Twists-Turns-and-Tweets-Amidst-Twitter-Company-Chaos/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98381436/0/spinsucks~Twists-Turns-and-Tweets-Amidst-Twitter-Company-Chaos/#commentsMon, 29 Jun 2015 16:58:15 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33674There is a lot of change at Twitter and its future is unknown. Janice Cuban explores what the users can do to keep it a viable social network amidst change

For those of us on social media, trend watchers, and especially employees and stockholders of Twitter, there is a question mark surrounding the future of the social network.

Dick Costolo is out as CEO with a frantic search underway for a new leader.

The platform has changed some of its rules within days of the shake-up. Speculation abounds that it will be purchased, rebranded, or trashed altogether (anyone remember Friendfeed?).

Despite all of its popularity and buzz, Twitter is not making money and is losing its user base.

In the middle of this chaos, however, it’s business as usual on the platform: Brands are tweeting like mad, users are jumping on trending hashtags, and celebrity Twitter flubs are a dime a dozen.

I spoke with Twitter expert Rich Brooks about what he sees in his crystal ball, and which smart practices are likely here to stay.

He should know, he’s been on Twitter from the beginning.

Twitter Endless Characters. Add-On Services. And More.

Firm parameters on real estate, once the holy grail of the social media network, are only getting bigger.

Twitter is chipping away at and circumventing its own 140-character limit to increase the space users have.

Examples creeping in recently (even before the shake-up): The ability to add native photos, videos, and retweet with comments.

Within days of Costollo leaving the company, the 140-characters shackles were also off direct messages.

Another big shift announced just last week is geared to grow and engage its base: Project Lightning, which allows users to follow events and news, not just people or brands.

This might be a test concept (note the word “project”), but it could radically change the focus of Twitter and potentially eliminate the newsfeed concept altogether.

So…what are constants for Twitter users (at least for now anyway)?

Social Proof Won’t Die

On Twitter, your warts or beauty marks are revealed for the world to see—how many followers you have, the number of lists you’re on, and other stats.

A brand with only 500 followers tells us a lot, and can be perceived in a poor light.

On the other hand, if a company has 50,000 followers, but are not engaged (or worse, spam bots), that adds up to a lump of cyber coal.

Brooks says:

It’s quality versus quantity. Follower counts are based on your goals for Twitter—if you have a vertical niche, geographic area, or sub-culture, focus on that audience, not just your overall numbers.

Show Your Personality (But Have a Filter)

One of the great things about social media is that you can present your brand the way you want.

Brooks recommends that companies show their personality, but act as if “you’re on a second or third date.” In other words, “Show your best self. Be an honest, transparent person but you don’t have to tell everything.”

Even a serious business, such as taxes, can be occasionally light-hearted, accessible, and still establish authority.

Yes, accounting can be fun and you can still show your passion for taxes. Whatever you do, people are looking for quick answers, so keep that in mind.

Promote Yourself (Within Limits)

Remember the good ‘ole 80/20 guidelines?

On Twitter that means 80 percent of your tweets should be focus on the needs and interests of your followers, and 20 percent should promote your brand’s content.

Likewise, if you want to connect with influencers and celebrities on Twitter,

The only way people will see you is if you’re talking to them directly. Retweets, mentions, and DMs (if the account allows it) increases the chances of getting the attention of someone you want to notice you and elicit a response or retweet.

Hidden Gems, Golden Rules, and Standbys

Brooks also reminded me of some great features that don’t get a lot of play on Twitter:

Subscribing to Lists: “Lists really improve signal-to-noise ratio for Influencers, locals, and other targets.” Shortcut—find people like you (or that you want to emulate) on Twitter and subscribe to their lists.

Increasing Engagement: Visuals and hashtags can increase engagement up to two times, but using more than two hashtags is an #epicfail and results will drop.

Repeating Tweets: If engagement is going to happen, it will be within the first few hours of a tweet. Don’t be afraid to retweet three to four times within 24 hours,” Brooks said.

Brooks’ final thought on what makes Twitter his favorite social platform (in less than 140 characters, of course): “The magic of Twitter is other people,” he said.

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98381436/0/spinsucks~Twists-Turns-and-Tweets-Amidst-Twitter-Company-Chaos/feed/2http://spinsucks.com/marketing/the-pop-up-a-marketing-tactic-we-love-to-hate/The Pop-up: A Marketing Tactic we Love to Hatehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98332514/0/spinsucks~The-Popup-A-Marketing-Tactic-we-Love-to-Hate/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98332514/0/spinsucks~The-Popup-A-Marketing-Tactic-we-Love-to-Hate/#commentsMon, 29 Jun 2015 10:58:40 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33648The use of website pop-ups is a marketing tactic communications pros love to hate. But Laura Petrolino points out they have good use, if executed well

Or how I hate to touch velvet or be stuck in dimly lit rooms (let there be light people).

And we aren’t the only ones.

The general public tend to hate when we use pop-ups as a marketing tactic, too. When I was researching keywords for this post, almost all of the Google suggestions were along the lines of “how to block pop-ups,” “blocking pop-ups,” “stop pop-ups.”

You see the trend.

And yet……

When done in a smart way (we will get to that later), they work!

Case-after-case show pop-ups used effectively as a marketing tactic help drive more subscribers (such as how Darren Rouse increased subscribers by 300 per day), and increase conversions and leads.

Choose Your Own Pop-up Adventure

Like most marketing tactics, there are several ways for one to “pop a box.”

Or even tap into reverse psychology, such as “arrogant” pop-ups, which remind a visitor why they are a loser for not taking advantage of your call-to-action (“no thanks I’m happy not XX-insert your solution here-XX”).

It reads like a list of “how to be super annoying and make people yell horrible things about you at their computer.”

And yet….

They work!

A Pop-Up Marketing Tactic Turned Me into a Playboy Playmate

Ok, that might be an exaggeration (but a killer sub-head, right?).

I’m about to tell you a true story of pop-up victimhood, and why I now get emails every morning into my inbox that look like this:

One day I clicked over to an article on Playboy while doing research for another blog post (I really was there for the articles) and this pop-up flashed up on the screen:

It was clever, funny, and exactly what I was thinking at the time, “I’m on Playboy, reading the articles.”

So it worked.

And now I receive a daily email from Playboy—which does actually have some fairly good articles.

Pop-ups: A Marketing Tactic Gone Wild

So we know pop-ups work.

And we also know they are annoying.

What’s a communications pro to do?

First, and obviously no surprise, if you decide to use pop-ups as a marketing tactic, make sure it aligns with your overall communications strategy:

Why should I use a pop-up?

What type of leads would I like to collect? And why?

What will my follow-up communication be? And why?

Will pop-ups work for my target buyer persona? And why or why not?

Once you figure out “the whys,” you can fill in the details of this marketing tactic.

Where and When to Trigger Pop-ups

You want to minimize the disruption to the user experience as much as possible (the more disruptive, the angrier the visitor will most likely be), so where and when you “pop-up” is crucial.

Where: As with any lead generation tactic, you have to give the visitor enough “free” content or other type of motivation to make the exchange of email worthwhile for the visitor. Therefore, where you put your pop-up will be important.

In most cases you’ll want to put it on your blog or another content heavy area. The likelihood of a visitor will be annoyed by a pop-up increases as the amount of useful information they’ve been exposed to on your site decreases. Give them a reason to see your interruption as valuable.

When: Likewise, you need to give a visitor enough time to absorb content and really start to understand just how awesome you are before you hit them with a pop-up representation your awesome. Set a pop-up that comes on after a certain amount of time on site, or a distance of scrolling. Not only will this make sure the visitor is reading (and hopefully enjoying your content,) it will help you collect more qualified leads.

Testing is a requirement for both of these factors.

Pop-up Marketing Tactics are Like Dates

When it comes down to it, some people are going to find your pop-ups annoying and some people are going to welcome them and sign-up right away. In this way, it’s sort of like dating. The marketing tactic can stay the same, but the perception of the marketing tactic changes based on the “who.”

When I look back at some of the most charming and some of the most creepy “stunts” guys I dated have done in an attempt to “woo” me, they really aren’t that much different. The only real difference was how I felt about the guy. With a pop-up, if they like you (and you’ve give them enough quality content and time—back to our “when” and “where”—to figure that out), the annoyance of the pop-up will often (not always) be overlooked.

If they don’t…well, you’re the creepy guy. Sorry.

Your industry and buyer personas are very important as well. As Daniel Herbert points out, while pop-ups might be annoying for more tech savvy industries where online content consumption is second nature, they might work well for other industries where users aren’t as familiar with the “email for content” exchange.

Do You Use Pop-ups as a Marketing Tactic?

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/98332514/0/spinsucks~The-Popup-A-Marketing-Tactic-we-Love-to-Hate/feed/41http://spinsucks.com/social-media/gin-and-topics-chris-pratt-runs-in-heels/Gin and Topics: Chris Pratt Runs in Heelshttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97957486/0/spinsucks~Gin-and-Topics-Chris-Pratt-Runs-in-Heels/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97957486/0/spinsucks~Gin-and-Topics-Chris-Pratt-Runs-in-Heels/#commentsFri, 26 Jun 2015 16:58:11 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33749In this week's Gin and Topics, the heroine in Jurassic World is teased about running in heels the entire movie so Chris Pratt tries it out. It's not easy being a girl!

3. Ed Sheeran Sings Limp Bizkit, Ty Dolla $ign. I found this a couple of weeks ago, but have saved it so we didn’t have a full Gin and Topics of Jimmy Fallon. In this video, “baby faced” Ed Sheeran sings the most disturbing, soul crushing songs. Not super safe for work because of naughty language in the song lyrics.

2. Celebrities Read Mean Tweets. It’s back with a new episode! I really love these. If I were to collect the mean things people say about me, “What kind of fashion sense do you have? Dark nail polish should only be worn in winter” would make the top of the list. Warning on this video: It’s 21 minutes long because ALL of the celebrities read mean tweets (might be a slight exaggeration, but there are a lot).

1. Chris Pratt Runs in Heels. My friend Carlos Cruz was over the other night and he said I will hate Jurassic World. I asked why and he said because the heroine runs in heels the entire movie. He’s right. This drives me crazy. It’s just not practical. It looks sexy, but there is no way you can run from dinosaurs in six inch heels for two hours. Because “If I had known we were going to walk, I wouldn’t have worn heels.” Exactly. And that’s why this clip is hilarious!

I was immediately taken by her a few years ago when I learned she is from Valentine, Nebraska and went to the University of Nebraska (go Cornhuskers!). I’m a Creighton University grad and have lots and lots of friends who are Husker grads (even went to a frat party or 20 there during college) so there is a strong affinity there.

She is ridiculously smart and witty, which makes her hilarious and one of my favorite people on earth.

So here she is…sitting on the Spin Sucks Inquisition hot seat.

What is the Biggest Mistake You’ve Made in Your Career?

The one I regret the most is staying at a job that I really disliked way past the expiration date.

If you’ve lost interest in what you’re doing or why you’re doing it, it’s time to go.

No one wins in those situations. Not you or the company.

What is One Thing about Yourself that Would Surprise Most People?

I go by both Amy and Amanda. Up until I moved to Chicago I went by Amy, but my birth name is Amanda.

It’s sort of a long story so I’ll try to make it short.

Apparently, my dad dated some girl in high school named Amanda and when I was born he wanted to name me Amanda.

Mom was not having it, but she’s a fair woman. She compromised and put Amanda on the birth certificate, but called me Amy.

When I moved to Chicago I worked for a real estate company and there were two women named Amy there.

My boss decided that was two too many so she decided she was going to call me Heather.

I said, “well my real name is Amanda…”.

So, all of my friends back home in Nebraska, my family, and a few select Chicago friends call me Amy but everyone else knows me as Amanda.

The only time I was called Amanda up until 2003 was when mom got really angry.

She’d yell “AMANDA LYNN GANT!”

It packed more of a punch, I think.

If You Could Achieve Everything You Ever Wanted in Life, but Had to Die 10 Years Sooner, Would You Make that Trade?

Nope.

I think your goals and things that you want to achieve change all the time.

If I died 10 years early, I’d miss out on wanting to achieve new things and achieving them.

Besides, I’ve always pictured my older self shaking a fist at the neighborhood kids and just doing crazy stuff because I can.

Doesn’t translate as well in your younger years.

What Industry Advice or Practice Would You Most Like to Cry Foul On?

People mistaking “best practices” as stone cold tactics. They are meant to be guidelines.

Find what works for you, your business, and (most importantly) your customers.

I hear this all the time, “I read that it’s best practice to have X on your website. Can I add that?”

Sure! With a good content management system or a developer, you can add almost anything to your site.

But should you?

Go look at your analytics first.

Ask your customers what they want.

Is this something that’s going be effective?

Can you justify the ROI?

These are the questions you need to be asking yourself.

Here’s my tip (for best practices and life in general).

Ask yourself “why?” three times.

The second why should question your first answer.

Then go deeper and question yourself again with another why.

If you can’t give a good reason why to all three questions, then nix it.

I think the original technique tells you to do it five times, but I’ve found that three usually does the trick.

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97911312/0/spinsucks~The-Spin-Sucks-Inquisition-Amanda-Gant/feed/38http://spinsucks.com/social-media/infographics-should-be-accessible-to-all/Make Infographics Accessible to Allhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97785670/0/spinsucks~Make-Infographics-Accessible-to-All/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97785670/0/spinsucks~Make-Infographics-Accessible-to-All/#commentsThu, 25 Jun 2015 16:58:52 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33619Though infographics are hugely popular because of their visual nature, some are visually impaired. Here is how to your infographic accessible to all

As soon as infographics made their first appearance on the web, people immediately recognized their usefulness for conveying complex subjects in a simple, visually appealing way.

Since then, their popularity has only grown, which means infographics are here to stay.

Although these useful blends of text and graphic make information more digestible for most people, what about that portion of Internet users who have visual or cognitive disabilities?

By their very nature, these images do not convey their information entirely through text.

In which case, those who are blind, color blind, or visually impaired miss out on some or all of the value of the infographic.

The question then becomes, how can marketers create infographics that everyone will find accessible?

There are at least two simple ways that you can use to create user-friendly infographics and the bonus is they will both enhance your reputation with search engines.

Text Alternatives to Image Files

Provide a text-based alternative to your infographic that transmits the same information and significance.

Because the very thing that makes infographics so popular is their ability to distill complex topics in a visually appealing format, this can present a challenge.

Create a text page companion. You may find yourself creating a very text heavy page that negates the effect of the infographic. If this is the case, you can add a link to a separate page with the text explanation on it. If you choose the link route, it is preferable to place the link before the infographic. Be sure to give your text alternative a proper heading to distinguish it from any other text on the page.

Use HTML. Create your infographic using HTML/CSS instead of using an image file. This means you will want to include periods after your sentences, even if they are incomplete. This keeps the screen reader from reading the entire graphic as one long, tedious sentence. If the periods clash with your design, you can make them the same color as the background. The screen reader will still be able to recognize them.

Either method will allow visually impaired users to access the information by use of screen readers, programs specifically designed to aid the visually impaired get around online by reading the contents of a page out loud.

One of the infographic’s most charming aspects is the use of color to attract the eye and even convey information.

As you think through your different audiences, consider a pie chart. Colors that don’t have enough of a contrast will tend to blend together.

Imagine seeing the chart in grayscale, rather than full color. Will the colors still be distinct? Or will they be barely discernible?

HTML/CSS Benefit to Image Files

Another benefit the HTML/CSS method has over an image file—such as a jpeg or bitmap—is that users can enlarge the graphic as much as they want without suffering any loss of information due to pixilation.

This can be of enormous benefit to users who suffer from vision loss or impairment, but who are not blind.

The longdesc attribute is another way for you to make your infographic accessible, but it does come with its limitations because it can only be used by people with screen readers.

This means that other users who may need the text alternative, but who don’t use screen readers, will not even know it’s available.

Infographics are Here to Stay

As infographics continue to gain popularity on social networks, their inaccessibility could become problematic.

By taking steps now to ensure your infographics are user-friendly for all, you’ll be giving your graphics the best chance for a wide distribution.

Using your own content, lead magnets, and calls-to-action in media relations efforts.

Here is a breakdown of each.

Media Relations and Calls-to-Actions

We have a client that is opening a new facility in Ohio this fall. We’ve been working with the Cincinnati-area media since last spring as the different phases of the plant are complete: Negotiating with the city, groundbreaking, construction, hiring, and (soon) the ribbon cutting.

Not sexy, by any stretch of the imagination, but very effective.

Our goals with each story placed are to get people to subscribe to the blog, apply for a job, or contact the sales team.

So those are what we track against.

You can see, so far this year, we’ve had about a 35 percent return-on-investment, in terms of number of unique website visitors, compared to number of leads generated.

This data also shows us that, while the Cincinnati Enquirer sends very few unique visitors to the site, they are extremely qualified.

They spend at average of 30 minutes on the site and view 10 pages before filling out the contact us form.

There also is a 75 percent conversion, which is extremely high.

This is incredible and almost unheard of. It tells us we need to do more with that newspaper.

Likewise, CP Executive and ValpoLife are big targets—on the latter, people spend more than six minutes on the site and look at 16 pages before filling out the contact us form.

And, of course, Automotive OEM is very effective in passing through job applicants, with nearly half of the visitors contacting HR.

This is stuff I’d much rather have my team report back to the client—versus impressions and advertising equivalency.

The Lead Magnets

So how do we know this?

Let’s take one of the Cincinnati Enquirer stories that has run this year.

You can see, in the story, there is a link with the anchor text, “broke ground last year.” That text links to the “contact us” page on the client’s website.

Now we’re in business so we can track how many people came from that story, how many pages they viewed, and how long they stayed on the site.

Then we can track the additional pages they viewed and whether they revisited the site multiple times or if they contacted the client that same day.

Using the client’s customer relationship software, we then can see whether that person was just kicking the tires or if sales converted them.

In this case, we don’t have access to the client’s CRM so it’s a bit of a game to get the information, but after providing this kind of data against our efforts every year, they’re happy to provide it.

In this case, the lead magnet is “contact us,” but there are a variety of things you can provide behind anchor text:

A particular piece of content, such as a blog post, white paper, eBook, podcast, or video.

A downloadable piece of content that sits behind a landing page (so you can collect email addresses), such as a workbook, a template, a checklist, tools, or tips.

An application to submit for a job.

A newsletter or blog subscription.

The world is your oyster when it comes to this. Go big or go home, as they say.

Use Your Own Content

If you attended the April webinar (or watched it later) and spend some time with the content on Spin Sucks, you know I’m a big advocate of linking to your own content through your media relations efforts.

Sure, there is some pushback from some journalists who still believe they should only link to articles that are on the media outlet’s site, but that mindset is changing.

So always ask. The worse you’re going to hear is no and then you’ll know either that media outlet doesn’t belong on your list or you’re going to use them solely for brand awareness.

Either is fine, as long as you can explain it—and get buy-in—from your boss or client (it will be an uphill battle until they see the kinds of results I’ve outlined here).

You want to create a plan that includes who your target audience is, what their challenge is, what your solution is, the lead magnet that solves their challenge, how you’ll build a landing page to collect email addresses for marketing, the content you’ll use in your media relations efforts, and what other traffic sources you’ll use to build your audience.

In this case, I used an example from Spin Sucks.

We have a quarterly communications plan template that people love. That is our lead magnet.

The rest of the plan is outlined and you can see that we’ve added that template, as a link, to four different blog posts.

Now the real work begins. We have three steps to take that will take several months to complete:

Re-share those blog posts, but space them out. Say a week apart.

Build the visitors to those blog posts through the traffic sources outlined. Say a month apart.

Begin the media relations efforts to provide contributed content or quotes or interviews to targeted outlets and blogs…and link to one of these blog posts.

In this particular case, our call-to-action is download this template (which gives us their email address and we can now put them into a lead nurturing campaign). But also consider calls-to-action, such as “contact us” or “apply for a job” that I’ve outlined above.

Either way, your media relations efforts now are generating qualified leads that can be tracked against real customers.

And real customers equals money. Money equals your efforts are now an investment and not an expense. And that equals job security.

Hopefully I’ll “see” you on today’s webinar—either live or in the recording later.

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97739148/0/spinsucks~Media-Relations-Can-Be-Measured-Against-Real-Dollars/feed/15http://spinsucks.com/social-media/post-event-engagement-tool/The Most Important Post-event Engagement Toolhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97627590/0/spinsucks~The-Most-Important-Postevent-Engagement-Tool/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97627590/0/spinsucks~The-Most-Important-Postevent-Engagement-Tool/#commentsWed, 24 Jun 2015 16:58:54 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33642There is a very important post-event engagement tool that many marketers forget about, but is so easy to use. Steve Randazzo provides that tool and its uses

Think of the last branded event you created and the engagement tool you used.

Whether it was a trade show, industry event, or conference, chances are you started engaging with participants via social media weeks before you ever did in person.

Perhaps you joined a LinkedIn Group to get the dialogue rolling, or maybe you used hashtags in your tweets in anticipation of the event.

Regardless of the method, using social media before and during an event is a great engagement tool.

But it’s easy to get so caught up in the pre-event social component—tracking hashtags; getting real-time feedback on attendees’ expectations via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; and setting up a page for participants to like—that you forget about the importance of riding the social media train into the future.

In fact, only about 61 percent of marketers use social media to connect with attendees after events. In comparison, nearly 80 percent of marketers use social media before events, and 71 percent use social media during events.

As a marketer, it’s important to understand the best practices of continuing to use social media long after your attendees have returned home to increase engagement with customers and maximize return-on-investment.

Post-event Engagement Tool

Here are four important ways to keep the conversation alive.

Get hashtag heavy. The “quality over quantity” rule definitely applies to hashtags. Stay heavy on hashtags, but only as far as their prevalence and brand alignment go. Choose a hashtag for the event, and plaster it in the corners of presentation decks, on brochures, on branded items. Encourage hashtag use for contests and giveaways, and you’ll also incentivize attendees to use them and engage. For example, SxSW took place more than three months ago in Austin, Texas, but the event’s Twitter and hashtag are still alive and pushing out engaging content to continue conversations. The event is a year-round influencer, so its social presence is also active 365 days a year.

Give attendees their 15 minutes of fame. Sharing photos and videos from events is a sure way to keep guests actively engaged. Attendees will be excited to see themselves in your content, and it can be a great way to remind them to continue to network. Recapturing photo and video continues the conversation with individual guests while also spreading brand ambassadorship to their broader social networks.

Make it a competition. Contests, games, and sweepstakes are a solid way to engage with attendees. By incentivizing the conversation, you can heighten the benefit on both sides of the brand-and-attendee equation, boosting the win-win component of the dialogue.

Instill a sense of community. Inviting attendees to engage after the event promotes a sense of community around your brand. For example, Jimmy Fallon is an expert at making people feel like they belong to a larger group. He starts conversations around his brand by creating videos that are shared hundreds of thousands of times. The audience for these videos may not even be aware of the brand loyalty they’re demonstrating because his videos are so organically shareable.

Social media is certainly a powerful tool to use during an event, but its power only increases afterward.

During the event, it culls together like-minded, amped-up participants to engage in real time.

But post-event, social media has the power to keep your brand top of mind for the customer—increasing her likelihood of further engaging with and purchasing from your brand in the future.

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97627590/0/spinsucks~The-Most-Important-Postevent-Engagement-Tool/feed/3http://spinsucks.com/communication/to-taylor-swift-love-spin-sucks/To Taylor Swift, Love Spin Suckshttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97579172/0/spinsucks~To-Taylor-Swift-Love-Spin-Sucks/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97579172/0/spinsucks~To-Taylor-Swift-Love-Spin-Sucks/#commentsWed, 24 Jun 2015 10:58:42 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33698Earlier this week, Taylor Swift jotted an immaculate and respectful note to Apple, on Tumblr. It is a fantastic example of how the world of PR has changed

If you Google “1989,” she owns the entire first page. For a year. In the 80s. That isinsane.

She sold 1.3 million copies of 1989in its debut week, which made it the first platinum album of the entire year.

She wrote OpEds and used owned media to her advantage four months before her album was released.

She teased fans on the social networks a month in advance.

She created VIP listening parties two months in advance.

She used paid media in the form of ads and endorsement deals.

She used earned media, both with her savvy social media skills and her risky decision with Spotify.

She used shared media with her Instagram and Twitter use, which ingratiated her fans even more.

She used owned media with OpEds (she wrote one for the Wall Street Journal), podcasts, and guest bylines.

And that was just for the release of an album.

Since then, she’s continued her quest to keep a highly engaged, loyal community of teenagers and adults, alike (oh don’t pretend you don’t like her!).

To Apple, Love Taylor Swift

Earlier this week, Taylor Swift dashed off an article on Tumblr, where she, according to the Washington Post, “harshly chastised the company for its plan to not compensate artists during a three-month free trial for its new streaming service, Apple Music.”

Titled, “To Apple, Love Taylor,” she describes why she’s withholding 1989 from Apple Music in a very succinct, but respectful way.

(This is important to note because we all tend to get swept up in the social media mob and we forget about respectful discourse.)

She mentions the service will be free for three months to anyone who signs up for an account.

This is lovely for all of us who enjoy listening to music and will add it to our Spotify, Amazon Prime Music, or Pandora repertoires (or, in my case, all three…don’t ask why; I have no idea).

But, during that time, Apple will not pay the artists whose music is listed on Apple Music.

She describes how hard it is for a new artist with his or her new single or album to go three months without being paid.

She goes on to say:

These are not the complaints of a spoiled, petulant child. These are the echoed sentiments of every artist, writer and producer in my social circles who are afraid to speak up publicly because we admire and respect Apple so much. We simply do not respect this particular call.

Imagine, if you will, you worked at a job for three months before you received your first paycheck. But that paycheck wasn’t retroactive. It started to pay you for work done in the fourth month. You worked for free for three months.

The PR World Has Changed

It’s no longer about writing a news release and mass distributing it to everyone on your email list. I know this still happens because 50-70 of you send me a news release I don’t care about, every, single day.

It’s no longer about relying on third-party influencers to tell your story.

It’s no longer about the canned key messages that everyone must repeat like robots.

It’s no longer about controlling the message.

It’s no longer about smile and dial to see how many journalists you can talk to in one day about your new hire or your shiny, new product.

Taylor Swift has this figured out at the ripe, old age of 25.

She:

Wrote an immaculately phrased blog post on a site she doesn’t even own (Tumblr) about the issue with Apple and stuck up for the industry and all the work artists doe every day.

Tweeted it to her 60 million Twitter followers.

Managed to get thousands of articles written about her letter to Apple in only two days.

What You Can Learn from Tay-Tay

Sure, Taylor Swift is on her fifth album and she’s spent years cultivating a community, but she didn’t have any of this five years ago. She, like the rest of us, had to start somewhere.

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97579172/0/spinsucks~To-Taylor-Swift-Love-Spin-Sucks/feed/38http://spinsucks.com/marketing/stop-worrying-about-differentiation/Why You Should Stop Worrying About Differentiationhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97470434/0/spinsucks~Why-You-Should-Stop-Worrying-About-Differentiation/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97470434/0/spinsucks~Why-You-Should-Stop-Worrying-About-Differentiation/#commentsTue, 23 Jun 2015 16:58:05 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33644Differentiation is typically about the stuff and not about what matters or truly makes a difference to customers. Think about what really is different

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97470434/0/spinsucks~Why-You-Should-Stop-Worrying-About-Differentiation/feed/9http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/a-bone-to-pick-with-jawbone-up/A Bone to Pick with Jawbone UPhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97424358/0/spinsucks~A-Bone-to-Pick-with-Jawbone-UP/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97424358/0/spinsucks~A-Bone-to-Pick-with-Jawbone-UP/#commentsTue, 23 Jun 2015 10:58:34 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33683The wearable technology field is creating a generation of movers, but there still is some work to do. This is what's wrong with the Jawbone

You see, a couple of years ago, I read a study that shows sitting all day for work is worse for you than smoking a pack of cigarettes.

Because we’d gone virtual by then, I made a pact with my team to figure out something that would motivate everyone to get up (no pun intended) and away from their desks throughout the day.

You see, just as Ellie Pierce mentioned in her blog post yesterday, it’s a bit easier when you work in an office: You commute (if you’re in a big city, you may even walk to the train), you walk to and from people’s offices, you leave for lunch, you schedule time for the gym, you walk to meetings.

But when you work from home, it has to become a concerted effort. There are some days you walk into the bathroom to brush your teeth and you walk to your desk and then you don’t move for 10 hours, not even to shower or change out of your PJs.

Even for someone like me who rides 30 miles every morning, the study says that isn’t enough because it’s about how many hours you sit, not whether or not you exercise.

This is very, very bad.

The Obsession with Getting Steps

I was having dinner with my friend Carlos Cruz and I told him about this dilemma.

He mentioned he and his team had just started a steps competition using the Jawbone UP.

So I checked it out.

I compared it to what was available back then (there wasn’t much in the wearable technology space then) and, in April 2013, I bought everyone a Jawbone UP.

We created a contest: The person to get the most steps in a quarter would win $250.

It took a little while for people to engage.

I remember when Lindsay Bell was tired of losing every quarter and bought herself a treadmill desk.

She went berserk.

She was on that thing 22 hours a day (that might be a slight exaggeration).

She was walking so much that her shoes were wearing out within a month.

Her Jawbone UP broke three or four times in one summer. Their team just kept sending new ones because I think they were afraid we were going to go postal if we didn’t have our trackers.

It became normal for everyone to have 15,000-20,000 steps a day, particularly during the week.

(Lindsay still averages more than 10,000 steps a day, which makes me proud!)

Build a Work-out Desk

When Laura Petrolino joined the team, she had a treadmill desk and suddenly I knew my competition had just increased.

So I jerry rigged a shelf to my stationary bike and that is where I hold all of my meetings.

From the top up, you wouldn’t know I’m on my bike.

It looks like I’m sitting at my desk (maybe minus a little movement that makes it look like I’m swinging my legs under my desk) and it means I move in some capacity four to six hours a day.

The Bone to Pick with Jawbone UP

But here’s the problem: The Jawbone UP tracks number of steps as they correlate to walking, no other exercise.

So, for instance, if I ride 30 miles at 70 percent heart rate and at 22-23 mph, it takes me a little less than 90 minutes.

During that time, I get only 9,000 steps, which is baloney.

If I walk for 90 minutes at a slight elevation from my resting heart rate and four to five mph, I get 13,000-14,000 steps.

That makes zero sense.

So, if I’m working on reaching a goal of 15,000 steps per day, am I going to ride my bike in my heart rate zone and get really good cardio or am I going to walk?

It’s rewarding the wrong things.

As well, I have to wear the dumb thing on my ankle because it doesn’t track bike riding (which I do for exercise, in meetings, and now because it’s summertime, to and from outside meetings and physical therapy) when it’s on my wrist holding the handlebars.

While I’m completely addicted to it as David Sedaris is with his Fitbit, and I love that it holds me accountable to moving all day long (which in the end, is very, very good for me), the whole wearable technology field has some work to do.

Let’s Not Make it for Naught

It is rumored to start tracking VO2 and heart rate, which makes much more sense, but you’ll still have to have your phone (or Apple watch) on you at all times. And, while I do take my phone on bike rides, it sits in the back pocket of my jersey…and doesn’t count steps.

I don’t have a brilliant solution other than it should track elevated heart rate and your “zones” versus steps, but I do hope they get there.

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97424358/0/spinsucks~A-Bone-to-Pick-with-Jawbone-UP/feed/60http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/office-gossip/Office Gossip: Is it Good or Bad?http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97315292/0/spinsucks~Office-Gossip-Is-it-Good-or-Bad/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97315292/0/spinsucks~Office-Gossip-Is-it-Good-or-Bad/#commentsMon, 22 Jun 2015 16:58:10 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33593There are some situations where office gossip can be good. Robert Conrad discusses the differences between good and harmful gossip that can build or break a culture

Normally silent employees who harbor the same concern for their co-worker may even feel validated to voice their concerns, thus furthering camaraderie and trust among team members.

So when does office gossip cross over into the realm of destruction?

Loose Lips Sink Ships

In stark contrast, negative office gossip would be the same scenario above, but with harsh, unflattering exchanges about the missing employee.

A negative conversation about the missing employee would go something like this:

“I heard he was arrested over the weekend.”

“It probably didn’t help that he came into work drunk all of the time.”

“He came into work drunk?”

“Yes, and he even hit on the receptionist once.”

“I bet his wife wasn’t too happy about that!”

This is where the big difference lies: Speculation about the worker’s well-being is considered positive, whereas calling him a “drunk” and otherwise steered the conversation into negative territory, where it escalated quickly.

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97315292/0/spinsucks~Office-Gossip-Is-it-Good-or-Bad/feed/14http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/working-from-home/Five Things I Didn’t Realize About Working from Homehttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97272486/0/spinsucks~Five-Things-I-Didnt-Realize-About-Working-from-Home/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/97272486/0/spinsucks~Five-Things-I-Didnt-Realize-About-Working-from-Home/#commentsMon, 22 Jun 2015 10:58:39 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33634You may think you can get by on email alone, but you can’t. When you work from home, you need to get face to face with the people you work with, and you also need to spend a little bit of time chatting and enjoying each other’s company. You can’t be a stranger to your co-workers.

5. Shopping Math. The computerized version of this kind of drives me crazy, but the message is hilarious. I got these boots on sale. They were originally $700 and I got them for $350. With the $350 I saved, I bought a sweater. And on and on it goes. It’s funny because it’s true!

4. Two James Taylors on a Seesaw. I mean, really. Who comes up with this stuff? You know what we should do? Dress Jimmy up as James Taylor, invite James Taylor on the show, put them both on a seesaw, make up new lyrics, and have them sing! Let’s do it! Now this song is going to be stuck in your head forever. “We’re just two James Taylors on a seeeeesaw.”

2. BFFs Take a Lie Detector Test. Imagine you and your best friend are set up on lie detector tests and asked questions. Would you be completely and totally honest when asked a direct question? “Do I have good taste in music?” “You just listen to a lot of 90s singles and I just can’t.” So there you go!

Travis is a Spin Sucks reader and I’d even put him in the Crazy community, but he rarely (if ever?) comments.

Instead, he and I have in-depth conversations via email about the blog topic du jour.

It’s kind of a shame that I have him all to myself because he’s ridiculously smart, but I also kind of love having him all to myself.

But, because my mama taught me to share, I asked him to sit on the Spin Sucks Inquisition hot seat.

What is the Biggest Mistake You’ve Made in Your Career?

My biggest career mistake was not taking up offers to work with big campaigns or big agencies early in my professional life.

That means I’ve had to really scrap through some tough times to build a business on my own.

It probably took me twice as long to get to the point of landing clients such as major destination marketers, statewide campaigns, big real estate developments, and local governments.

But, it also means I’ve been able to start a family with a woman I’m crazy about, help raise two awesome kids, choose my clients, build equity in a business, and live a 10-minute drive from the most beautiful beaches in the world.

(BELOW: Gratuitous Pensacola Beach picture)

So, I guess it was a terrible career mistake, but a great life decision!

What is One Thing about Yourself that Would Surprise Most People?

Most people don’t know that I come from a very musical family.

My father is an accomplished composer and former Minister of Music, and my mother was a performance organist who has taught piano and gifted elementary education for years.

My brother and I grew up singing in church, and I played violin for 10 years.

If You Could Achieve Everything You Ever Wanted in Life, but Had to Die 10 Years Sooner, Would You Make that Trade?

Nope.

Life isn’t always a breeze, but I want more of it than less of it.

Ten years less means 10 years I don’t get to spend with my wife, my kids, and maybe my grandkids.

It means 10 years less to travel, read, help clients, and sit on the beach watching the waves.

What Industry Advice or Practice Would You Most Like to Cry Foul On?

I hate dishonesty.

It’s so much easier to say “I can’t talk about that” or just tell the truth and take your licks.

I see studies that indicate reporters and bloggers don’t trust PR folks and it really disappoints me, because it’s just so unnecessary.

Lying is no good.

A client of mine says “If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember the lies you tell.”

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96770998/0/spinsucks~The-Spin-Sucks-Inquisition-Travis-Peterson/feed/21http://spinsucks.com/entrepreneur/end-open-office-honeymoon/The End of the Open Office Honeymoonhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96605878/0/spinsucks~The-End-of-the-Open-Office-Honeymoon/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96605878/0/spinsucks~The-End-of-the-Open-Office-Honeymoon/#commentsThu, 18 Jun 2015 16:58:59 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33534The end of the open office honeymoon is upon us, as Reed Parker so eloquently explains. We need to shift back to cubicles or invest in his Retractable Cubicle Wall invention

The cubicle is the notorious symbol of office environment oppression: A cage of carpeted gray walls that suck the life out of any Dilbert comic or family vacation photo that you pin to it.

Anything that’s a symbol of pride for you such as a plaque or a trophy that you bring in to have at your desk now translates to “Congratulations, you made it here, to a carpet box. This would be great if you were a cat.”

Cubicles were originally designed to give office workers more freedom of movement, but soon enough they turned into instruments of evil when office managers began arranging them to fit more bodies.

However, it turns out, open offices may be even more diabolically designed.

Open to Having Personal Space Invaded

According to Jeffrey Tompkins, a Boston-based architect and interior designer, the standard allotment for workers per square foot has gone from 250 per square foot 25 years ago to between 160 and 190 presently.

So, while one of the supposed advantages of the open office is to make employees feel less boxed in, it’s actually giving them less personal space than they had before.

Now, I can’t confirm this, but I’m pretty sure the “open” of open office is secretly short for “open to having your personal space invaded.”

The ability to communicate freely is definitely a nice advantage of the open office.

Where your superiors used to feel like lurking vampires, they’re now less able to sneak up on you.

Where your co-workers used to be hard to talk to, it now feels like everyone is on the bridge of the Enterprise, collaborating together to steer this ship home.

(Raise your hand if you didn’t play Star Trek in your parents’ garage growing up. Now get out.)

Unfortunately, it’s time to admit that the Open Office Layout Honeymoon is over.

From the sounds of it, it’s been over for a while, but maybe we’ve been too afraid to admit it and risk hurting open office’s feelings.

Here are a few reasons it’s over.

Distractions

A chart compiled by the Harvard Business Review featuring information from a University of Sydney study reveals the two biggest sources of dissatisfaction for open office workers are sound privacy and visual privacy.

That open line of communication that you now have with your coworkers and managers applies to noises of all kinds, unfortunately.

You’ll have a coworkerwho clicks pens or raps their fingernails on the desk and the one with crappy headphones that project a tinny beat over impossible distances.

Plenty of other things besides noise can travel freely through the open office air.

For example, a Nerf dart, wad of paper, or a football that your former QB co-worker claims can throw with a perfect spiral.

My feeling is that success in an open office environment hinges on an individual’s amount of narcissism (there’s probably a kinder way to phrase that, but what do they care, they’re narcissists).

You have to be able to turn the noises and distractions into white noise.

If you’re able to worry solely about yourself and your own productivity, you’ll be fine.

However, if you’re the type who constantly or even seldomly compares your own progress to that of those around you, an open office is kryptonite.

Everyone else will be typing faster than you, clicking their mouse more often than you, cracking better jokes than you, and furrowing their brows more convincingly than you.

Health Hazards

Proud of your blemish-free work attendance record?

Either have an absolutely bulletproof immune system or kiss that record goodbye if you’re going to work in an open office.

You’ll come to resent the co-worker who brought the illness into work originally and refer to them under your breath as “Patient Zero.”

Along with the distraction, another byproduct of an open office’s noise pollution is an increase in stress.

This stress has detrimental effects on your immune system, making you an even more vulnerable target to “Patient Zero.”

In a study cited by The New Yorker, Cornell University psychologists found that open office workers who were exposed to regular work day noise for three hours had increased levels of epinephrine, the hormone that triggers the fight-or-flight response.

This increased level of stimulation can make workers anxious and harm their ability to be productive.

That same Cornell University study also shows employees are less inclined to make ergonomic adjustments in an open office environment.

Sitting at a desk all day is already proven to contribute to the risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Lack of Control

However, throwing them in the open office pit is beyond the point of diminishing returns.

As terrible as the walls of a cubicle are, that barrier offers the employee some semblance of control over their work environment.

In an open office, the only way to attempt to achieve privacy is to hide under the table.

For some reason, that has the opposite effect and people pay even more attention to you because you’re under the table.

Who knew?

Alternately, you can reserve the conference room for “a little ‘me’ time,” but that, too, will get you some strange looks.

When an employee feels as though they have control over their work environment, their job satisfaction and productivity increases.

Ethan Bernstein, an assistant professor at Harvard Business School, says:

Most of us can list at least three or four things we wouldn’t feel comfortable doing in front of a large group of people but would do in a more closed environment. That level of comfort is critical for workplaces to harness, but something we lose when we open up the office.

The open office is full of constant stimulation and the feeling of having no control over this can make an employee feel helpless.

They have no control over the look and feel of the office and there’s no volume dial on office chatter.

This feeling of helplessness is absolutely detrimental to motivation and productivity.

The End of the Open Office Honeymoon

Cubicles are heinous and stuffy, but your body and mind actually prefer them to the open office.

The dilemma lies in trying to satisfy the social desire to be a part of a team and make personal connections with your fellow employees, the psychological need of feeling in control, and the biological need to not get sick a lot.

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96605878/0/spinsucks~The-End-of-the-Open-Office-Honeymoon/feed/23http://spinsucks.com/communication/use-media-relations-to-generate-qualified-leads/Use Media Relations to Generate Qualified Leadshttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96547776/0/spinsucks~Use-Media-Relations-to-Generate-Qualified-Leads/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96547776/0/spinsucks~Use-Media-Relations-to-Generate-Qualified-Leads/#commentsThu, 18 Jun 2015 10:58:38 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33615Should media relations be used only for brand awareness or can it generate qualified leads? We think it's both and we'll teach you why during this free webinar

Media Relations Lessons

I once was kicked out of a LinkedIn group for being a snake oil salesman.

You see, I really believe public relations can—and should—drive sales.

Because of that, I’ve taken the tactics we use and built a way to measure their effectiveness beyond impressions, shares, engagement, and reach.

And, really, who doesn’t want to be a hero and bring new business into their organization?

But that means there are some people who think I am leading the industry down a wrong path. They believe the job of the communicator is not sales, rather brand awareness, reputation management, and thought leadership only.

So this snake oil salesman is going to teach you that process of combining reputation management with qualified lead generation.

During this media relations webinar, you will learn:

A review of the three-pronged media relations approach;

How to drive qualified leads to your website or blog to prove PR is an investment, not an expense;

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96547776/0/spinsucks~Use-Media-Relations-to-Generate-Qualified-Leads/feed/17http://spinsucks.com/communication/content-marketing-foxes/Become a Content Marketing Foxhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96400354/0/spinsucks~Become-a-Content-Marketing-Fox/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96400354/0/spinsucks~Become-a-Content-Marketing-Fox/#commentsWed, 17 Jun 2015 16:58:46 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33552A content marketing fox is someone who stays ahead of the trends and seemingly always has new stuff released. Here are three ways you can become one overnight

The beauty of curated content is that it allows your organization to publish a steady flow of content without the time and resources required to create all of that content from scratch.

It’s also appealing to your readers because it provides additional points-of-view and takes the focus away from you and your sales objectives (although good curation can certainly complement those sales objectives).

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96400354/0/spinsucks~Become-a-Content-Marketing-Fox/feed/10http://spinsucks.com/social-media/james-altucher-author-qa/Join James Altucher for a Special Author Q&A Todayhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96347730/0/spinsucks~Join-James-Altucher-for-a-Special-Author-QA-Today/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96347730/0/spinsucks~Join-James-Altucher-for-a-Special-Author-QA-Today/#commentsWed, 17 Jun 2015 10:58:46 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33596We are very, very lucky to have James Altucher on the Spin Sucks author Q&A. James is an entrepreneur turned best-selling author. You don't want to miss this one

Come back here, scroll to the bottom, and write a comment in the form of a question. As soon as you hit “post comment,” James will see it and reply to you. You can even join the conversation around questions others are asking, if you like.

We’ll be here for an hour so you can join us the entire time or step in and out during the hour. It’s entirely up to you; just make sure you’re here before 12:59.

Win a Copy

Those of you who participate in today’s author Q&A with James Altucher (even if you’re late to the party, but not if you’re an Arment Dietrich employee) will be entered into a random draw for a free hard copy of the book.

Don’t forget—you have to actually leave a comment, ask a question, or participate in the chat to be entered in the draw. Otherwise we won’t know you were here.

Get ready with your questions and join the conversation. And don’t fear! If you missed the live portion of this, we’ll keep the drawing open until midnight PT so you still have time to get in your questions.

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96347730/0/spinsucks~Join-James-Altucher-for-a-Special-Author-QA-Today/feed/199http://spinsucks.com/communication/move-marketing-comes-pr/Move Over Marketing, Here Comes PRhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96200638/0/spinsucks~Move-Over-Marketing-Here-Comes-PR/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96200638/0/spinsucks~Move-Over-Marketing-Here-Comes-PR/#commentsTue, 16 Jun 2015 16:58:59 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33515The tide is shifting and PR is taking a more prominent stance in the business role. Here are five signals that show PR can—and will—take the lead very soon

During the past five years, there are several big signs that tell us PR has broken out of its silo and we can say, “Move over marketing, here comes PR.”

We have a lot to offer to 21st century business far beyond what was traditionally considered a part of our practice when I entered the workforce 25 years ago.

Have you seen these signs?

The Changing PR Agency Business Model

What was once the agency model broken down by practice areas is changing.

Many agencies are adopting digital or social media structures and being more channel agnostic, understanding the nature of today’s purchaser, and how a mix of media (including paid media) is very important to reach and engage people.

Agencies are offering their clients the best way to engage with their consumers through paid, earned, shared and owned Media (the PESO model), as Gini Dietrich describes in her book, Spin Sucks.

However, because not every agency is equipped to provide these integrated digital and social media services in-house, they’re quickly finding partners who can work with them to offer the best media choices for their clients.

In order for PR agencies to meet the needs of the 21st century, facing technological advances and a changing media landscapes, they must adapt new structures, and change and grow as well.

International Awards for Creative Campaigns

Cheers could be heard across many PR circles when Edelman became the first PR agency to win a Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for its work on the Chipotle Mexican Grill “The Scarecrow” campaign.

Edelman worked with Creative Artists Agency Los Angeles on acampaign that was linked to the Chipotle “Food with Integrity” initiative, highlighting the chain restaurant’s commitment to sustainably raised food.

But, this is only one example of many.

PR has definitely raised the bar on creative work.

We’re seeing how PR agencies are hiring creative directors, a position that didn’t exist in PR firms when I started out in the late 80s.

Creative directors are using good, insight-driven creative campaigns.

They’re helping to bring together the necessary elements within their agencies to deliver the best creative stories for their clients.

New Professional Skills and Competencies Required

Coming out of college and graduate school years ago, and entering into the field of public relations required great writing, speaking and relationship building skills.

Those skills are still tremendously important.

However, today’s professionals need to be immersed in all different kinds of media to apply their great writing and relationship building practices.

They also have to be critical thinkers and negotiators who are flexible and can adapt to changing global environments.

Today’s professionals must serve the needs of the global business; where communication transcends different borders and boundaries.

At the same time, professionals must have cultural values and sensitivities, and understand the diversity of their teams, as they collaborate with more areas and different people within their organizations.

Strategic Communications Offered in MBA Programs

When I was studying for my MBA in marketing in the late 1990s, there were pages in my marketing textbook that covered issues management, reputation, and ethical communication.

There was no course dedicated to educating executives on the importance of transparent communication, ethical behavior, and reputation and crisis management.

Today, the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has partnered with a number of universities to offer a strategic communication course, which covers a number of important topics: corporate communications, integrated marketing communications, investor relations, corporate social responsibility (CSR), government relations, and crisis communications.

Silos Within Organizations are Breaking Down

Communicators are working together; PR, marketing, digital and branding professionals come to the strategy table to collaborate on a program.

PR is no longer just earned media or simply brought in post crisis.

Whether you’re in PR or marketing, you’re in the business of content. Today, content is the best way to engage with people in their communities and to build relationships.

With consumers driving their own communication, deciding who, what, when and where they want to share, PR has to be hands on with digital and social media to reach and engage with audiences, where they choose to congregate.

Whether you’re a B2B, B2C, or non-profit organization, the customer doesn’t care how you create good information, they just demand it from you, and usually want it instantaneously.

The customer doesn’t think about “who does what” to get them what they need. They just want the best experience, proving that all areas of marketing (and customer service too) need to work together.

PR is Expanding

Whether these five signals are a push for PR to “flex” its communication muscles and to say, “Move over marketing, here comes PR,” or perhaps to be more subtle with a, “Hey, marketing, make room for us PR pros,” the outcome is the same.

Public relations is expanding and professionals are experiencing new practices on the job.

Working more closely with marketing and various types of media, showing greater flexibility and adaptability in the global organization and being more digital and social savvy is a great way to demonstrate value in your organization, raising the bar with new PR practices

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96200638/0/spinsucks~Move-Over-Marketing-Here-Comes-PR/feed/21http://spinsucks.com/communication/three-blog-writing-tips/Three Essential Blog Writing Tips for Just Before You Click Publishhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96140748/0/spinsucks~Three-Essential-Blog-Writing-Tips-for-Just-Before-You-Click-Publish/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96140748/0/spinsucks~Three-Essential-Blog-Writing-Tips-for-Just-Before-You-Click-Publish/#commentsTue, 16 Jun 2015 10:58:09 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33566If you ever read or listen to something David Sedaris writes, you’ll first notice how funny he is. Though he’s not often cited as an amazing craftsman of the English language, if you can stop laughing long enough to pay attention, you’ll notice he chooses great verbs

Tweak Your Subheads

OK, first fix that. Start by breaking up your copy with subheads. Make sure at least one of them includes your keyword.

Now you can play with them.

Think through the following:

Do your subheads help your reader scan? Because most of your readers will scan—at least to begin with. If your subheads don’t help them figure out what’s happening down in the big gray zone under your headline, they won’t do anyone much good.

Do your subheads give too much away? If everything you need to know about your blog post can be picked up just by reading the subheads, what’s the point in writing several hundred words?

Do these subheads add any personality to your blog? This is one of those blog writing tips that can get overlooked: Show some personality. Add some flair. Put a joke in a subhead. Maybe throw a pun your reader’s way (depending on your topic, of course).

What else can you do to break up your copy? Are there quotes you can pull out? Bulleted or numbered lists you can add?

Be Like Sedaris and Spruce Up Your Verbs

I adore David Sedaris. His writing knocks me out every time—and it’s even better if you can listen to him read it.

I remember listening to one of his books on CD during a period I was working on my own writing quite a bit. I had just been through an exercise in which I worked on the strength of my verbs.

And here’s the thing: If you ever read or listen to something David Sedaris writes, you’ll first notice how funny he is. He’s not often cited as an amazing craftsman of the English language.

But I think he is.

If you can stop laughing long enough to pay attention, you’ll notice he chooses great verbs.

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/96140748/0/spinsucks~Three-Essential-Blog-Writing-Tips-for-Just-Before-You-Click-Publish/feed/37http://spinsucks.com/social-media/lessons-from-droughtshaming/PR Lessons from DroughtShaminghttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/95974928/0/spinsucks~PR-Lessons-from-DroughtShaming/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/95974928/0/spinsucks~PR-Lessons-from-DroughtShaming/#commentsMon, 15 Jun 2015 16:58:30 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33548It's the social media mob in action again, this time with #droughtshaming. But Paula Kiger questions its efficacy and challenges us to think differently

Eventually, I started feeling guilty for anonymously calling people out.

I hate typos as much as the next person, but I started to feel that the negativity behind my tweets was weighing me down.

(It doesn’t stop at PoorlyProofed, admittedly. I even blogged about someone who misspelled “angel” on a luminaria MEMORIALIZING THEIR LOVED ONE WHO DIED OF CANCER.)

But it’s a new day, a new year, and perhaps I have evolved.

I have evolved to the point that I have reached a critical mass in my tolerance for anonymous finger-pointing on Twitter.

DroughtShaming

When I was listening to a recent radio story about DroughtShaming, I couldn’t help but feel that this effort was not going to end well.

The drought conditions in California, and the civic actions that have been taken to try to mitigate the effects of the drought, have resulted in the birth of the DroughtShaming hashtag (#droughtshaming).

There’s even an app.

The citizen reporter stands at the offending area, and GPS knows where they are, so the report already includes the address along with the alleged infraction.

Most people will agree that measures need to be taken to deal with the drought conditions in California.

When I see the glee with which some people use DroughtShaming, though, I have to wonder if their motives are altruistic.

I mean, what are the homeowners’ association meetings going to be like for these neighbors in the future?

Distrust Does Not Build Community

My husband and I were on the receiving end of a summons three years ago for “high grass.”

We deserved the summons. I won’t argue that.

Our lawnmower had broken, my husband was out of a job, and we did not have the money to fix the lawnmower.

Because the report was made anonymously, there was no way of knowing who had filed it.

I kept wishing whoever had filed the report had offered to let us use their lawnmower instead.

It wasn’t that we WANTED our yard to be an eyesore.

Admittedly, my feelings probably would have been hurt if I had been approached directly by a neighbor, even if they were offering a lawnmower, but after the summons incident, I have always been asking myself“was it YOU?” when interacting with my neighbors.

Distrust among neighbors does not build a caring community.

Positively Solve Problems

As communicators, we can play a role in more positively solving problems such as the drought-measure compliance.

Connecting: One of the first pieces of strategy has to be to foster a “we’re all in this together” vibe. California is not going to be in drought conditions forever. The day will come when it will not be news that someone is watering their lawn. We need to help people realize a mutual goal of creating a pleasant community is bigger than the issue of sprinklers.

Acknowledge the Issue: I don’t mean to flit around rejoicing that drought is front and center as a problem. Some events are inevitable in the life of a community. If it wasn’t drought, maybe it would be a proliferation of invasive plants, too much rain, or a strike by municipal workers such as the waste management staff. Be clear that drought is a true issue. Don’t gloss over it.

Encouraging Constructive Action: Getting your neighbors fined or using civic resources to write up tickets has little probability of bringing rain down from the sky or of preserving what little water you do have. As a community, you may be at half time of your water management game, but you can still win if you have the right plays.

How can we, as communicators, help keep the civility reservoir full rather than drain it dry?

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/95974928/0/spinsucks~PR-Lessons-from-DroughtShaming/feed/34http://spinsucks.com/communication/public-relations-how-mark-hurds-online-reputation-changed/Public Relations: How Mark Hurd’s Online Reputation Changedhttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/95925364/0/spinsucks~Public-Relations-How-Mark-Hurds-Online-Reputation-Changed/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/95925364/0/spinsucks~Public-Relations-How-Mark-Hurds-Online-Reputation-Changed/#commentsMon, 15 Jun 2015 10:58:34 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33555Mark Hurd, the co-CEO at Oracle, had a problem: His Google results depicted a bad image. So he hired a public relations professional to help him repair it

One moment Hurd was fending off mortifying allegations of sexual harassment and expense-account violations; the next he was safely ensconced in a job that would pay some $40 million in his first year alone, working for a man who didn’t give a fig what envelopes Hurd might have pushed—so long as he made his numbers.

How did he do it?

Public relations!

When Offline and Online Collide

When I was a young and impressionable new public relations professional, I read a book called Spin by Michael Sitrick.

I just knew, if I could practice public relations the way he describes using the media to your advantage, I would have a great career.

I also, admittedly, was a little star-struck at the company he’d built that works with celebrities, politicians, and was even played by Harvey Keitel in Pulp Fiction.

Since then, of course, I’ve taken a different path and believe spin sucks. I believe public relations professionals such as Sitrick give the rest of us a bad name (while still respecting the heck out of him).

But I was in awe to read it was his team who worked with Hurd to get him back to a leadership role at a major organization.

And now Sitrick has made the news again by introducing Hurd to Glenn Bunting, a former investigative journalist turned communicator.

You see, Hurd has another problem: His offline reputation seems to have resolved itself, but online? All you have to do is Google his name and you’ll find his reputation isn’t so in-tact.

Fix the Google Results

This is not a unique situation.

Just the other day, a friend called because there is something bad about him on the front page of Google results…from 25 years ago.

He wanted to know if I thought it was worth the money to hire an SEO reputation firm to get it off the front page.

This is the same conundrum Hurd faced: What to do about the negative stuff from his time at H-P more than five years ago?

He hired Bunting with one directive: Fix the Google results.

And fix he did.

With a mixture of content, an update to his social networks, and even a new website, the search results on pages one and two are overwhelming positive (I found only two negative stories on the first two pages).

Public Relations to the Rescue!

The only real way to help your online reputation is to do good things.

You can’t get rid of the bad stuff, but you can get it pushed down further in search results.

Public relations most certainly can help you with that.

I don’t know about SEO reputation firms because I’ve never used one, but I hear stories of how they’ll charge you a low price to get you in the door, and then show you all the bad stuff on the web about you.

To get rid of that other stuff, of course, costs more money.

And they also promise to get rid of the negative stories and social media mentions, which is impossible to do.

It can get pushed further down, but no one can make it go away.

The only way to manage your online reputation is to create content—good content that people really care about—use the social networks to build community, and sprinkle in some sponsorships to distribute the content.

If you have negative search results, go the Mark Hurd way and hire a public relations professional to help you.

]]>
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/95925364/0/spinsucks~Public-Relations-How-Mark-Hurds-Online-Reputation-Changed/feed/45http://spinsucks.com/social-media/gin-and-topics-emma-stone-spice-girls/Gin and Topics: Emma Stone and the Spice Girlshttp://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/95535868/0/spinsucks~Gin-and-Topics-Emma-Stone-and-the-Spice-Girls/
http://feeds.feedblitz.com/~/95535868/0/spinsucks~Gin-and-Topics-Emma-Stone-and-the-Spice-Girls/#commentsFri, 12 Jun 2015 16:58:34 +0000http://spinsucks.com/?p=33539On this week's Gin and Topics, we have a great bit with Graham Norton and Emma Stone. He discovers she loves the Spice Girls and has a surprise for her

I know Texas and some of the southeast has had a ton of rain. No one is really talking about what’s going on in Chicago (we’re the Second City for a reason…everyone forgets about us and we have a huge chip on our shoulders because of it!).

It has rained every, single day for weeks now. It’s putting a serious hamper on weekend activities. Warm enough to play outside, but pouring rain.

No happy medium. Hrumph!

If you’re part of the world that is stuck inside, let’s commiserate together. Perhaps we petition Mother Nature to change her mood?

5. First World Problems. Go ahead and get the onions out. You’ll need them when you watch this video. It’ll make you realize your first world problems are not that big. Told from the perspective of a dog while he’s dying, it’s incredibly moving. Blame the onions!

4. Jimmy Fallon Does Jim Morrison. He’s seriously so talented. It’s kind of not fair that one person has this much talent. Why doesn’t he share? He doesn’t HAVE to be funny and smart and a great impersonator and be able to sing and act. He should share! But watch him do Jim Morrison first.

3. Tractor Dancing. I’m not sure what to say about this. I suppose you should just watch it and decide for yourself. The name probably does it enough justice.

1. Graham Norton and Emma Stone. I heart Emma Stone so much. And she loves Baby Spice. This might be the very best thing I have ever seen. Well, next to Tight Pants, that is. Graham Norton has a little surprise for Emma Stone while she’s visiting him for the Spiderman 2 opening. It is so fantastic.

Crud. You are going to make me think really hard about when I first met Eden Spodek.

She’s been a friend for so long, I can point to a gazillion times I’ve spent time with her.

I can point to the time she showed up at my hotel with a package of macaroons after I got back from Paris and was craving them in a big way (and no, I did not share with Lindsay Belll, even though she begged).

I prefer listening to autobiographies that are recorded by the authors.

I loved her humor and candor as she told the story about her career rise and challenges she overcame along the way.

It was like listening to one of your girlfriends who was both relatable and living a fantasy life simultaneously.

Why Does Spin Suck?

Spin sucks because you can only put so much lipstick on a pig.

Eventually, it will catch up with a brand and erode its reputation and credibility.

One of my pet peeves is when clients ask me to spin their story.

I help tell their stories online and advise them it’s always better to be upfront and open by telling it like it is rather than trying to wrap up an issue in a pretty little package.

Where You Can Find Eden Spodek

I asked Eden what she’s working on and I’ll let you tell you in her own words:

What timing. I’m currently involved with a Kickstarter campaign for an awesome project called Imaginary Friends. It’s a simple new concept that brings printed books, online games, and real-life activities together in a fun way for kids and their families. Watch the video and see. This is the first time I’ve worked on a crowdsourcing project and it’s a wild ride. This one ends the morning of June 26, so please take a look and consider becoming a backer before then. All reward levels are in Canadian dollars. What a bargain!

App Store Data is Essential to Your Marketing Strategy

Optimize your app listing. The math is simple. The more times your app shows up in a relevant user’s search, the more downloads your app should receive. That is to say nothing of A/B testing your icon, screenshots, or description. But where do you find which words and phrases relevant users are using in their app store searches? You can’t use web data (Google) as app store search and web search are different.

Target two to three word phrases that focus on features. The vast majority of app store search is for two to three word phrases, for specific features. Relevance is much more important that trying to grab traffic where your app is not the best fit, as users will simply move past your offering to something relevant. This approach of targeting short phrases leads savvy app marketers to approaching ASO from the perspective of managing and optimizing a keyword matrix. How many relevant phrases can you target with the current mix of keywords in your keyword bucket?

If you do the work to focus on keywords or phrases that focus on features, you want to get very specific.

For example, “game” may be a too general of a word to use as a stand-alone target, as there are hundreds of thousands of competitors for that keyword.

But if you are targeting “Tower Defense”and “Medieval” “Knights” and some other related keywords for your middle ages themed, tower defense game, adding “game” to your keyword bucket creates all the following combinations:

Tower Defense Game

Knights Game

Medieval Game

Without adding the very broad and competitive keyword such as “game” to your keyword bucket, you miss out on appearing in some very specific and relevant search results when combined with other relevant qualifiers (keywords).

The Apple keyword field is limited to 100 characters, and can only be updated when the app is updated.

Building your ideal keyword matrix by finding relevant app store search words and promoting your best features related to these words is the best strategy.

App Store Data for Ads

Why limit the app store data you have on how users are searching the app stores?

Why wouldn’t we use trending search data to help us craft more relevant and targeted ads?

Relevant, trending search phrases can help marketers emphasize or prioritize “frequently searched” features in their ads and copy.

Let’s use the example of creating advertisements and calls-to-action for installing your amazing “Photo Album” app.

Targeting the exact words the market is using, to refer to the features of your mobile app, can even provide a new stream of ultra-relevant impressions—with ads speaking in the language your prospective users are using.

Trending Words to Inform Product Development

App store search data provides information directly from potential clients about what features they are looking for.